Upmarket Japanese restaurant in West End. We came across this restaurant when we were looking for a place to eat on a rainy day. We couldn’t quite find anything that caught our eye or piqued our interest, until we found Ippin. It was tucked away upstairs and away from the normal bustling West End village. With the pink leaves of a decorative cherry blossom tree, we were lead to the entrance of this beautiful restaurant. They have stair or elevator access, depending on your preference/ needs.

The first thing I noticed about the restaurant was the beautiful fit-out and decor. It was all decorated so beautifully and made you want to dine with them. It is definitely not a casual sushi joint, and the staff definitely don’t treat you like a casual diner. They greet you and welcome you in, and all the staff say something in Japanese to welcome you. The tables are neatly set up and service is attentive and quick.

In terms of food options, there was a relatively large range of menu items, from a la carte to set menus. They also had bento box options, which were great! The food is definitely a bit more on the pricey side, which is probably to be expected, given the look of the restaurant and service. We got the beef noodle soup and a bento box.

• The beef noodles were presented beautifully, with the thinly sliced beef sitting on top of a bed of noodles. The waiter pours the soup over it, in front of you, and leaves you with the ___ on the side, to add yourself! The flavours and textures in this were great. The noodles were cooked well and the soup was good. It just made you want more!! I would definitely recommend this dish.
• The grilled chicken bento box was also very aesthetic and had a number of components. The tofu was quite nice but nothing super special. The sashimi was fresh and a good cut of fish. There was also beef, tuna and egg squares. They were cold, which was a bit interesting, but nonetheless nice :) The grilled chicken was quite nice and crisp, but I’d say that the underside was a bit burnt, leaving a bit of a charred aftertaste… Overall, it was nice to try but I probably wouldn’t opt for the bento again

I’d probably recommend coming here on a special occasion. It is a bit more pricey but the staff definitely make you feel more special than just dining at a normal Japanese’s restaurant.