AOI TSUKI — Restaurant in Melbourne

I had an extremely frustrating experience with this restaurant due to their unfair cancellation policy. I got Covid and, being responsible, I informed the restaurant as soon as possible. Despite my efforts to notify them promptly, they went ahead and canceled my appointment and still charged me the full dining fee for two people.

In an effort to not waste our hard-earned money, (as I am not in a financial position that i can experience fine dining regularly) I even offered to attend the appointment and suggested they could arrange a side table away from other guests to minimize any risk. However, they refused to serve me and refused to make any accommodations, showing no effort to save our experience. Their lack of compassion and consideration was deeply upsetting, especially given the circumstances.

When I called them to explain the situation, they informed me that they would not be refunding anything, citing their policy, even though this was an unforeseen event. They explicitly stated that their policy would apply regardless of situations like a car accident, family emergency, or sudden illness. This response was incredibly frustrating and showed a complete lack of empathy or understanding.

It’s important to emphasize that it wasn’t me who canceled the reservation—it was the restaurant who refused to serve me despite my willingness to adjust the situation. It’s hard to accept that a business would be so rigid and unwilling to consider exceptional circumstances that affect their customers. In my opinion, it is the business that should bear the risk, not the customers, especially in cases like this, where the situation was beyond our control.

It’s incredibly disappointing and uneasy to see a business prioritize a policy over basic human decency. The way they handled this situation has left a very bitter taste, and it’s difficult to accept that they took my money without even trying to find a reasonable solution.

I won’t be returning, and I highly recommend others carefully consider the policies before making any bookings. This experience has shown me how lacking in compassion and customer care this restaurant truly is, and I cannot recommend...

We dined at Aoi Tsuki during our trip to Melbourne. It was an experiential dining masterclass and felt almost theatrical from the way each guest was ushered in from the foyer to the dining area. There aren't any freestanding tables - everyone is seated around the chefs, and every seat is catered to with the same level of individual care. The waiters are invisible unless you need them, upon which they appear before you call - they are attentive, anticipative, and unintrusive - refilling beverages, clearing plates and placing the appropriate cutlery for the next course barely noticeably. It wasn't the decadence of truffle chawanmushi, grated foie gras on wagyu, smoked duck, the caviar, and the almost mandatory presence of bluefin tunas that you expect at this level of restaurants that impressed me the most. While appreciated and expected, I find them all too cliche and 'safe'. It was the innovative dishes - like the King George Whiting nigiri (topped with sesame) - that really made this place distinctly singular. This particular fish is endemic to the south coast of Australia, and it shows the chefs' understanding of the region's ingredients and their respect for locality. The sesame was a great touch and it's this type of signature creativity I'd like to see more of. The abalone, and its rendered liver, mixed together with rice, was another favourite - hints of overlap with Korean cuisine that we appreciated. My favourite part of the experience was the interactiveness. The chefs were conversational ("one bite please!") and always available to answer questions or fine-tune seasonings to preference, and my post-meal chat with the chef is one of the most memorable points of my entire trip. Thank you for generously and unguardedly sharing your insights, and for the skillful care and intention with which...

We had a brilliant evening. The omakase was well thought out and each dish and sushi were meticulously prepared and delicious. I had too many personal favourites. Ambience, once inside the dining room that looks custom made for sushi omakase is inviting and as one would expect. The sushi chefs were professional and knowledgeable and were more than happy to explain each dish / sushi and chat to us. Normally, I would rate this a 5/5, however there were a few things that could have been better with service from the wait staff. Upon arrival, there was no one at their little front desk and so we sat ourselves in the wait area. When a waitress appeared, she did not acknowledge/greet any of the 6 guests waiting before heading back to the dining room. Our drinks were not topped up often and we most poured our own drinks. Upon asking for the bill, we asked if we could split bills and the waitress rolled her eyes, walked away and then came back to tell us the point of sale (eftpos) system did not allow for this. We were surprised as one of the girls within our group owns a food business with the exact same machine which could split bills. We had a great evening throughout our meal, interacted well with the lovely sushi chef and it was disappointing that the ending of the night was met with a bit of attitude from the waitress. When we left, it was raining and whilst we waited for our uber right outside the restaurant in the rain, it would have been nice if we were offered to stay in the waiting area until our ubers arrived. Instead, the same waitress closed the door on us and locked the door. I wish there was a half star option so I could rate this 4.5 stars as the end was the only area I feel...