MATSU — Restaurant in Melbourne

Chef Han has given me one of the most memorable dining experiences of my life. In a fine dining setting with such a wide range of dishes and elements in each dish, I’m usually ready for some hits and some misses, but I couldn’t name a single dish I didn’t enjoy thoroughly.

The flow of the evening was perfect. Chef Han is an excellent conversationalist and an exceptionally warm person. You feel at ease from the moment you walk in. The pace of service is steady but not rushed. Like any thoughtfully planned meal, it starts off with small portions of light, beautifully delicate flavours to whet your appetite, and builds up to some bold, daring, and punchy flavours.

Every element of every dish has a reason to be there, and has been executed to absolute perfection.

I struggle with the exercise of choosing a favourite, but the one that almost brought me to tears was the prawn nigiri. Before it even lands on your plate, the showmanship of the blowtorch excites you, and the room fills with a smoky aroma to awaken your senses. Place it in your mouth and the smokiness hits your palate immediately, and is followed by the savoury, umami saltiness of the soy sauce. The natural sweetness of the prawn takes centre stage, and as you continue to sink your teeth in, you pick up slightly sweet and sour notes from the warm vinegared rice. Another chew and the delightfully aromatic sourness from the sudachi rounds it all up as the flavours all meld together perfectly. I had to sit back in silence for a while when it was over.

I’d like to try a couple of other kaiseki places in and around Melbourne so I have some sort of comparison, but it will be very difficult for me to resist the temptation of coming back here every single time. The menu also changes every season, so it would be incredibly exciting to see what other magic Chef Han...

ORDERED: 🍴 Kaiseki set ($235.00) 🥃 Sake: Lychee 60ml ($19.00) 🥛 Still water (half) ($4.50)

My portion was $258.50 here!

REVIEW: ❤ Overall, I had a great time at Matsu. It's an intimate 4 seater experience where you're seated close to the chef. I could feel Chef Han's knife cuts vibrate through the wood in the table when he went in with the harder slices. It was also an amazing experience to see the food, in detail, prepared before your eyes. 📸

The food was delicious. The top 3 stands out were: Hassun: Chef's selection. Little bites, the tempura batter on the shiso leaf and the corn were to die for. Also, a 3 day marinated cherry tomato that burst in your mouth with a memorable collision of sweet and tart flavours. 🍅 Mushimono: Abalone, udon, cream, pine nut. There was freshly shaved truffle, which enhanced the umami flavour, bringing an earthy element that was incredible. The udon was incredibly thin and silky smooth. 🍝 Dessert: Red bean and sesame ice cream monaka. Two thin wafers sandwich the iconic sesame and red bean combo, making it a sweet treat to end a massive meal. I could've had two of these! 🥪

Overall, the ingredients were fresh (MUST have when there's sashimi and nigiri courses) and delicious. It's worthwhile trying to get a seat, but I wouldn't rush to go back a second time. ☁. I wish there was a bit more storytelling, though, to set this kaiseki experience on top of the rest. 📖

To save a bit of money (because this is expensive), see if you can opt in for tap water and pay in cash. There's a 1.3% surcharge on cards or 2.5%...

Matsu Set Menu $235 + Sake Pairing $85 Welcoming Drink: Yuzu Tea 🍵 Braised eggplant in dashi 🍆 SAKIZUKE: Egg, Dashi, Scallop, Shiitake mushroom, Mullet roe, Kamaboko, Mitsuba 🥚 HASSUN: Sesame Pudding, Chestnut, Octopus, Mushroom Tempura, Scallop, Cherry Tomato MUSHIMONO: Abalone, Udon, Cream, Pine nut 🍜 WANMONO: Scallop, White fish, Ginger, Zucchini, Ume 🍲 OTSUKURI: King Fish, Salmon, Tuna Sashimi 🐟 NIMONO: Wagyu, Radish, Yuzu Kosho, Miso, Spring onion 🐄 OSUSHI: Chef’s Selection of Nigiri 🍣 SHOKUJI: Gohan (Rice) - Anago, Shiso, Ikura, Chive 🍚 Dobin Mushi - Green Tea, Dashi, Prawn, Carrot, Shiitake mushroom, Mitsuba 🫖 DESSERT: Monaka, Red bean, Shiratama dango, Kinako, Okinawa Black Sugar & Ice-cream 🍨 Add on: Uni Sushi $29

It was a great pleasure to dine at Matsu, an intimate 4 seats restaurant specialises in Kaiseki. I can grantee you it is worth the hype and ride to Footscray. Everything was a 10/10 for me. Chef Han’s cooking was demure and mindful so as the interactions with him. Everything was well-explained. It was a night full of laughters. Highlight of the night was the Abalone udon and Anago tempura rice. The perfectly cooked udon paired with a creamy and umami white sauce made with abalone liver was a mind blower. The anago tempura was light and crispy. I love how it can be eaten two ways as a normal tempura don and ochazuke. The rice was also made into onigiris for us to take home. The visual, flavour and texture of the food all slapped. I would absolutely...