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Kenzan
Ph: (03) 9654 8933; Collins Place, 45 Collins St, MELBOURNE 3000 www.kenzan.com.au
Japanese, $$$ +, ** for Food & Ambience
Open Mon-Fri noon-2.15pm; Mon-Sat 6-10pm, Closed Christmas & Easter; Licensed; AE DC MC V, Seats inside 100, Private room Up to 22
Chef Kaname Komatsu & Koichi Minamishima (7-11-07) Owner Boeing Cho & Kazutaka Murayama (7-11-07)
Photo: Tony Knox
Mietta's Review
Watch a real master prepare your sushi at the bar or sit back and enjoy excellent table service or the seclusion of one of the private rooms. Very popular with tourists and locals alike. A good selection of Yarra Valley wines available as well. All in all, a very pleasant and well run place.
Other published opinions
Age Good Food Guide 2008 Score: 15/20, One Hat "The grand empress of Japanese restaurants in Melbourne, Kenzan may be looking a little dowdy nowadays with its blocky pine furniture, even though the screened private rooms and sushi bar have a timeless design"
Gourmet Traveller 2008 Australian Restaurant Guide "Pine furniture, neutral carpet, slatted screens - superficially, Kenzan sticks to the classic template of Japanese restaurants, seemingly afraid to offend by risking a more outre statement"
Herald Sun Bob Hart, 14-04-07 "JAPANESE food was the tiniest blip in a remote corner of the nation's radar when Kenzan opened its doors some 25 years ago. ... But there is no doubt that our enthusiasm, and their efforts, have been part of a parallel process that has changed the eating habits of a nation. And when I made, with a mate, one of my regular visits to Kenzan last week, the place was as inspiring as on my first visit, almost 20 years ago."
The Age Good Food Guide 2006 score 15/20 1 Hat "There's a local celebrity holding court at one table, a group of young suits at another and several lone diners propping up the sushi bar. The reason they're all here is the exceptional food, and the elegant room that is always inviting."
Gourmet Traveller 2006 Australian Restaurant Guide "Little has changed at Kenzan in over 20 years and that is a very good thing. Fortunately, the combination of excellent sushi and sashimi, swift service, a welcoming room and decent wine and sake list never goes out of fashion."
The Age Good Food Guide 2005 "IN a town where sushi can too often be a listless, clumsy imitation of the real thing, Kenzan provides a lesson in how to do it right. Gloriously fresh, brilliantly coloured and presented with artisan skill, Kenzan's way with seafood is truly inspiring."
Gourmet Traveller 2005 Restaurant Guide "Now aged 21, it has lost some of its early lustre, but retains a well-deserved reputation for good food, fine wine and welcoming service in a setting of understated elegance."
The Age Good Food Guide 2004 1 hat, score 15/20, excellent wine list
Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Guide Australia 2004, Good vegetarian options,'Kenzan is a Japanese food-lovers' treat...There is also a selection of set menus and chef's banquets that allows diners to sample a range of dishes...a good range of sake.'
The Age, 3/10/2003, Epicure, Unexplored Territory, Matt Preston
The Age, Sunday Life, Eat Streets, 28/7/02
Herald Sun, Weekend, Eat, Bob Hart, 19/1/02
The Age, SundayLife, eatstreets, 9/7/2000 Jane Faulkner
Or perhaps ...
Hanabishi Victoria
A mixture of classical and minimalist Japanese design, this is one of Melbourne's finest Japanese restaurants.
Kenzan Victoria
Watch a real master prepare your sushi at the bar or sit back and enjoy excellent table service or the seclusion of one of the private rooms.
Shoya Japanese Restaurant Victoria
A Japanese eating and drinking complex with a bewildering array of options. You'll have to find something you like in this good value establishment.