ILZA — Restaurant in Melbourne

Came in on a whim for some brunch and boy, I was not disappointed! It’s a new cafe, and it’s quiet small. But the staff are very friendly and the food tastes so good.

I ordered the pork belly don and an oat cappuccino. Coffee was good - strong enough to keep me going through the day! And the pork belly don was incredible. They got the meal ready super quick so I wasn’t sure what to expect, but it hit all the marks. Fresh salad, perfectly runny egg, soft cloudy rice, well marinated pork belly which wasn’t too tough or chewy, - everything was perfect.

What got me down was the fact a lot of things were sold out or unavailable! I will definitely be back to order some other menu items I was hoping to try.

Extra notes: I got in around 10:40 and there was only one other person seated. Lots of people were coming in for take away coffee, but when I left at 11:30ish it was getting really full. Like there was only one table left for 2 They have QR codes to order but you can also order from the front. There’s limited seating outside - some for 2 some for a group of 4-6. They had self serve water which was handy on a hot day like today! and There’s a very small (clean) bathroom if you need it. There is a single step into the bathroom, and a single step to use the toilet. Just something to be cautious of if someone is unable to climb stairs or...

Exorbitantly priced for such small portions (including the drinks). While the strawberry matcha was OK, the size is insanely small for the price you pay, it's mostly ice, and you can easily get better and more at other places. To give you an idea of the size, they cut regular straws in half to use for their cups. The matcha flavour isn't that strong, either (not a surprise given the vibrancy of the green, see photo).

The onsen egg atop my curry was ICE-cold, straight from the fridge, and was a solid object, making for a bit of a shock for a dish that is meant to be served hot. The curry itself was incredibly basic with no complex flavours -- it just seemed like curry cubes cooked without additional vegetables or seasonings. The tempura dipping sauce was overly salty and the tempura batter itself was VERY thick, making the tempura chewy and dense rather than light and airy. No appreciable light crunch that you'd expect from tempura. It was like eating rocks -- just look at the photo. That batter is not right.

The service is typical QR code ordering.

The atmosphere is so nice and it's such a hidden find that I really wanted to like this place, but the food is so disappointing for the price point, both in flavour and...

If you love Japanese food as much as I do I highly recommend Ilza Cafe in Box Hill South. Tucked away in a residential area, we thoroughly enjoyed everything we ordered at this cosy cafe and the dessert is a must try!

Visiting for lunch we ordered the salmon steak don, pork maze udon, soft shell crab tempura and matcha tiramisu to eat. For drinks we had the iced strawberry matcha latte and a matcha latte.

Both the salmon steak don and pork maze udon were beautiful and delicious. The salmon was perfectly cooked and the pork with a hint of spice was full of flavour. The egg in each bowl added a lovely touch of creaminess. The soft shell crab tempura was also very good.

I highly recommend ordering some dessert when you visit. We couldn’t resist the matcha tiramisu. It was a great take on a traditional tiramisu with a lovely hint of matcha. Perfect for sharing I also liked that it wasn’t too rich or sweet.

It’s also worth trying some of their speciality drinks. I loved the iced strawberry matcha latte. In addition to being really pretty, it was nice and creamy with a lovely strawberry flavour and quite refreshing. The matcha latte was also very good, you can taste the strength of the matcha without it being...