Ichi Ni — Restaurant in Melbourne

Partner was excited to take me out to this place on 16/02/2024. They we kind to accommodate our early arrival as discussed on the phone. We got there and were led upstairs on level 2 and there was such a nice ambient atmosphere. We ordered: ・ Spicy maguro ・ Takoyaki ・ Sake (salmon) donburi ・ Gyu kare (beef curry) ・ Ichi ni plate sashimi ・ Stone and Wood Pacific ale ・ Dessert: chocolate harumaki and strawberry cheesecake

Highly recommend the Spicy maguro which was different and seasoned very well. Takoyaki was as expected with thin ginger pieces a nice touch according to my partner. Donburi and Kare was not great. The three colored pickles didn't match with the taste, my donburi purple cabbage was bitter, dry and brown (looks like it was yesterday's), the beef is overcooked and not great for my partner. Sashimi was very average as we've enjoyed better freshly served sashimi elsewhere. There was snapper which we were excited to try as part of the sashimi but thought that even though the scale/skin that was left on looked nice, it was so chewy I had to spit mine out. Dessert was very average as well. Made sense now because when we asked the waitress for recommendations, they only told us what was popular, not what they would recommend.

Hot food and the like came out fast except for the desserts which we had waited 15 minutes after they cleared our table before we had to enquire if dessert could come out. We continued to wait another 30 minutes for it to finally come out. Apparently there was one staff member who enquired the kitchen a few times so the delay solely was in the kitchen. We basically didn't get our dessert until 20:00 so our evening plans to go shopping had to be canceled, despite finished eating mains by 19:10. Due to the excessively long wait, they offered our drinks to be complimentary as an apology, but even with that the bill came just under $200.00 for not a great dinner.

It was awkward going to pay as we were worried on how to respond if asked, 'how was the meal?' But thank goodness the same waitress did not ask. We appreciate the complimentary drinks to abate the annoyance with the wait but in honesty we don't understand the hype of this place that aside. The food was not that great. We do also appreciate the enquiries into our dietary requirements to ensure the food suits us. But in terms of food quality and taste,...

This was my first time back to visit here after the covid to celebrate birthday. I have to say I’m so disappointed with almost everything which I admired in the past. It’s not the restaurant I knew in the first place and I feel sad about it.

I used to be a regular customer before the covid and me and my family all highly rated this restaurant- fancy and cozy ambience, great quality of food, good values, amazing plating, and welcoming and attentive staffs. Now they are overpriced considering the quality of food they served and the way they presented the food (very minimal dressing and plating). For example, the scallop sashimis in the platter were not fresh and tasted like they‘re defrosted (but the scallop on the nigiri was fine). Yakitori sets were either too dry or too salty. And the rice cracker on the tuna tartare was over oily. They used to have their menus like a book with beautiful dish pictures on it so you know what to expect and you got exactly what you saw, but now they replace it to just a piece of hard paper without pictures anymore. When I noticed this change, my guts told me the food wouldn’t be presented like what’s in the past, and I knew I was right when I had the foods on my table. They also closed their fascinating garden area with glass roofs and arranged tables inside so close to each other. It’s just impossible to have a comfortable and private enough space for dining. The staffs were very busy and we had to give multiple hints to grab their attention and wait for extra time to get their help. I’m not too sure about the policies or regulations if restaurants should allow someone in to just beg for money considering our equal human rights, but the young lady next to my table was obviously terrified when a lady literally rushed to her to interrupt her conversation with her friend and asked for money. That lady walked around to different tables, but in the meanwhile, no staffs reached out to take care of the situation.

I know the covid has hit businesses so badly and they may have to make some changes to save budgets and survive. However, I think the quality of foods and customer services should be the least to comprise as a restaurant to maintain their standard. We didn’t really enjoy our birthday dinner here. Well, I wish all the best to Ichi Ni Nana as this was one of my favs and I hope to see you in...

Upsetting experience - FOOD ALLERGY MISHANDLED.

My husband and I have been to this restaurant several times before, and everything was fine. Maybe the cocktails were too sweet and overall a bit too pricey, but nothing major had happened. Until last night: we were with a group of friends, six people in total, to celebrate a birthday.

We ordered lots of food for the table and drinks. Prior to ordering, I asked if I could have one of their dishes without cucumber, as I cannot eat cucumber. I was told by the waiter that, of course, that could be arranged (this is, unfortunately, due to an allergy rather than a preference).

My food was taking longer to arrive, so I turned around and saw the sushi chef picking up sushi rolls from a plate and poking them with a knife to remove something from the inside. I kept looking and realised that he was removing the cucumber from the sushi rolls. I was horrified.

I immediately called the waiter and asked him if that was indeed my plate because if it was, those sushi rolls would have been contaminated, and I couldn't eat them because of my allergy. The waiter went to check, and I saw them laughing😟. At this point, I was very confused and concerned.

The waiter came back and said that the chef didn't know it was an allergy; he "just" thought I didn't like them, so he was removing them after the fact.

This is EXTREMELY UNPROFESSIONAL on their part and very DANGEROUS. Whether it was an allergy or "simply" a preference, that should never have happened.

The chef agreed to make me some fresh ones, which, of course, arrived once everybody else had already finished eating. At that point, I ate a couple of rolls and then left the rest to the other guests because I no longer trusted their concern for their clients' wellbeing, and I no longer felt safe eating there.

What I would like to point out is that if I had not noticed what the chef was doing (i.e., picking out the cucumber after it had already touched my meal), they would have served me a plate that contained something poisonous for me, with the risk of serious health consequences. It's very sad to see something like this happening in a place that I used to love.

If you suffer from any allergies, please be aware that this establishment doesn't have your best interest in mind, and you might feel sick...