Kicho — Restaurant in Melbourne

Came tonight to this restaurant with my daughter, first time. The food was OK - it is not a traditional Japanese restaurant. However, the service was pretty bad, as mentioned by an earlier reviewer, this place seems to be run by teenagers on work experience. The service was long, despite the fact we had arrived very early and there were few people. The waitresses were more interested in chatting amongst themselves than attending to clients. On two occasions, I caught one waitress (blonde in a pony tail with a white top) checking her phone. It is quite obvious, by their body language, that they really don't care about customer service nor about clients themselves, totally disengaged. Actually these waitresses reminded me of the ones employed at the Pantry in Church Street Brighton! The ONLY staff member who was busy AND professional was the young lady behind the bar making drinks. She worked non stop and was very pleasant. As for the other staff members, if I were running the show, I would fire them! I know that currently, it's difficult to find hospitality staff but really these young ladies were just hopeless. I even had to wait to pay for the bill. Another grip, the music was too loud and the music selection would be more suited in a bar for young people.better I couldn't wait to get out of this joint. I can assure you I won't be rushing back to...

ORDERED: Feed me 7 course ($49.00) 🌿 Edamame 🐟 Kingfish Crudo: Yuzu cream, pomegranate ponzu, crispy garlic, herbs oil 🥩 Gyu tataki: Seared wagyu, pickled kohlrabi, congo potato crisps, shiso ponzu, chilli oil 🥦 Popcorn cauliflower: kicho sweet chilli sauce, toasted pepitas, candied walnut 🍣 Assorted Nigiri sushi and Hot Night Tuna: Fresh tuna with spicy marinate, tuna salad, avocado, cucumber 🍡 Yakitori: Grilled half chicken and spring onion with kicho soy glaze, leek and potato puree, pickled shallot, salted egg yolk 🍰 Yuzu Cheesecake: Miso sable crumb, raspberry sorbet, meringue kisses

REVIEW: The feed me menu is at Kicho is worth it. A memorable, filling 7 course menu filled with intricate details, texture and flavour contrasts that blew my mind. My top two favourites were the: Sweet, crunchy fried cauliflower with a nutty touch from the pepitas Yakitori with its memorable juicy chicken, the iconic puree which added a relaxing softness against the charcoaled flavour.

But in general, I enjoyed all the dishes. Tables were a touch too small for all the dishes, so it ended up being crowded very quickly. There was also good timing as the dishes rolled out continuously, but did wish the wait staff explained the food in more detail as they bought it out. We ordered the feed me menu... without quite knowing what was on it 😅. But very glad we took...

‘Kicho’ is a lovely experience for those wanting ‘Clean Japanese Food’. I would say the highlights were the ‘Gyoza’- with the crunchy textured lace coating, Gyoza underneath & salad on top; and the ‘Karage Chicken with Truffle Aioli’. As a ‘Tofu’ freak, ordering the ‘Agedashi Tofu’- I would have preferred a crispier firmer Tofu with a bit of ‘crunch’, in order to soak up the sauce. The Silken Tofu fell apart, whilst eating & as it was just too soft, it was hard to eat with chopsticks to pick up all the soft remaining pieces. I would prefer a firmer Tofu perhaps with a Tempura coating. The ‘Special’- Pork Ribs- I would have enjoyed a stronger sauce ( Maybe Honey) to add to this dish, & the small amount of meat was a tad ‘Chewy’. As a firm believer in creating atmosphere- I would also suggest some ‘Soft Traditional Japanese Music’ in the background, to add to the atmosphere for a full immersion experience in this cultural restaurant. Very healthy, Clean food- I look forward to...