Hanashi — Restaurant in Melbourne

Came down to Melbourne for a conference at the Pullman hotel on the park. Hanashi is just a six minute walk down the road. I got tired of the crappy Hotel food which is overpriced for what you get so I thought I’d try this little Restaurant down the road. although the restaurant was a little noisy (after all Hanashi means conversation in Japanese) due to a large celebratory group, I found a nice spot near the kitchen. I didn’t really know what to order and relied on the very lovely waitress. I ended up ordering the smoked edamame for appetiser, the steamed egg dish for an entree, the chef’s special 10 Yakitori skewers Along with the Wagyu beef don, and the tiramisu mousse for dessert. all washed down with a Sapporo beer. I like the venue and the atmosphere. The waitresses were on point even with a big group just opposite me. Even though I only ate the cooked food, the diners sitting across from me had some wonderful sashimi and Japanese hotpot style dishes. I recommend if you’re staying down this way to give Hanashi a try. You won’t be...

Absolutely no idea why this place is rated so highly. We came as a bigger group, and every single one of us thought the food was incredibly subpar.

The creamy udon tasted like heated-up cream and completely bland — a few mushrooms, pickled radish, and some seaweed thrown on top. The udon was overcooked as well. Typically you’d expect some fish roe or at least some seasoning, but this had none. Not sure what they were going for.

Chirashi bowl - the seafood was not fresh, especially the mackerel. We ordered 2 of this and the sushi rice tasted completely different in each — one was so bland we had to add soy sauce, the other was overly sour and salty. Tasting how they made the sushi rice, it was clear they weren’t using the original technique to make proper sushi rice.

Yakitori - no idea why it took so long when it showed up lukewarm and had no charcoal flavor.

If you’re looking for quality Japanese food, this definitely isn’t the spot. The service was also so slow, dishes took ages and came out randomly as well. Really...

A small, cozy restaurant with warm Japanese-style decor and charming cat-themed touches throughout. Ordering is done via QR code and payment is made at the counter. The menu focuses on small izakaya-style dishes—snacks that pair well with beer. However, there aren’t many items available, and several were already sold out less than an hour after opening.

Grilled dishes take quite some time to prepare, though the delay is mentioned on the menu. The Japanese-style fried lotus root wasn’t crispy, and the sushi rice was cold and hard. The bacon-lettuce & cheese skewer were overly salty due to the bacon and sauce. The octopus was very chewy. On the bright side, some other dishes were enjoyable—especially the seared mackerel, which was so good we ordered a second plate.

Service was attentive, with staff regularly refilling our water without needing to be asked. The restroom was clean. Prices lean toward the higher side considering the portion sizes, but the cozy atmosphere and cute cat-themed decor add a nice touch to...