NishikiAN — Restaurant in Melbourne

A Japanese Izakaya with great mood and atmosphere🍱

NishikiAN now has a lunch session - during which they offer teishoku (set meals), bento, donburi (rice bowls) and ramen. They also have a large variety of Izakaya foods (ranging from generic items such as Takoyaki to Kaki-fry), but I believe they have a larger focus on Izakaya foods for the night session instead. Lunch is quite a quiet time for them and it’s a very peaceful time to visit.

Out of the items available at lunch - I’ve tried the following:

1. Teriyaki Hamburg Teishoku - all teishoku come with rice, sashimi, miso soup. This one came with the Hamburg steak and 2 Ebi-fry. The Hamburg was quite freshly made as it was juicy and of a fair portion - enough to accompany the rice bowl as part of the set. The Ebi-fry were also quite nice. The sashimi tasted fresh and altogether all the items made for a very fulfilling meal, at $23.80.

2. Cheese Imo Mochi - this was an appetiser which looked very nice in the menu, and which was actually very delicious. This dish consisted of fried mochi with a generous cheese filling, drizzled with a unique sauce which went very well with the Mochi. It was a fantastic side and I strongly recommend this. This comes in either a 2 or a 4 set, so it’s suitable for many table sizes.

3. Tonkotsu Ramen - the soup base was quite good, and the ramen as a whole was nice. The only thing to mention is there could’ve been slightly more Chashu as there was only one piece in the ramen and it’s $19.80. Nevertheless a very nicely flavoured ramen.

4. Una Don - this was very well done, the unagi was not chewy and had a lot of flavour, accentuated by the sauce drizzled over the dish. There was also egg strips which came with the Unadon, an addition I always like to see. This is definitely one of the better Unadon I’ve had in the nearby suburbs.

As mentioned above, it’s quite a quiet time for them at lunch, so they are slightly short staffed. But this means there will be minimal wait time and the time for the food isn’t excessive either. You can enjoy the great ambience in the restaurant as you wait and even browse for further items on the intuitive iPad ordering page. Customer service is quite good and attentive.

I’ll be returning for more lunch sessions when I am in the area and perhaps try its...

The first time I went, my experience was wonderful. I fell in love with the place and would rate it 10 stars! I loved their Sake, Unagi and that robot that brought us our food!

I went there again, one week later, my experience was nothing alike, it was HORRENDOUS! Despite making reservation, I had to wait for 15 minutes and we had to take initiative to asked for the menu. We waited about 20 minutes before we could order our food. Here comes the horrendous experience.

Our food was delivered to the wrong table (beside us). I knew that, because they came and was seated later than us and I found it odd that their food arrived before ours. However, I did not inform the staff immediately and I waited for approximately 10 minutes before taking the initiative to inform the staff, thinking that ours might come soon but it did not.

I thought that the staff would inform the chef and give us a new order. I thought wrong. The staff went to the table, checked it, realised that the food was indeed delivered to the wrong table. Gave us their sushi and put it on our table! I was shocked and speechless. How could you give us someone else's sushi which was placed on their table for more than 10 minutes? That was so UNPROFESSIONAL and UNHYGIENIC! I felt disgusted as I wasn't sure if I should be eating food that was on another customer's table for more than 10 minutes. I thought they would have made a new order for me.

I wanted to reflect it to the manager on the day itself but everyone was so swamped that I could not even reflect my experience with anyone. We had to take a lot of initiative to get our orders going and our dining meets met (e.g., water, menu, utensils, etc.).

But I have to admit, they have very fresh Salmon Sashimi. I love their Aburi Unagi and Salmon Set and I WAS addicted to their home-made Sake. But after that traumatic, UNHYGIENIC experience, I am not so sure anymore! :( What a shame as I thought I found a good...

I’ve dined in and do take out with this place on a weekly basis. Hands down say this place ticks all boxes for service, ambience, efficiency and food quality.

On the topic of food quality, authenticity is all I can say. Their sashimi cuts are generous and very fresh. Presentation is always a bonus too (my sashimi plate looked like a mini village). Their tuna cuts are dark - indicative of quality (compare this to the tuna you get from packet sushi) - I have only seen this in Japan and at another Japanese place in Brisbane. Compare their Beef tataki to the all you can eat beef tatakis and you will notice a big difference in the texture, freshness and size of the cuts. Their skewers are also pretty good, loved the truffle ones. On the topic of their ikura (salmon roe), the way it is prepped or where it is sourced is authentic Japanese. That is, it’s not just salmon caviar taken out of a caviar jar bought from a fish shop (which I have experienced before). Size and taste of these roes are better than the average.

Their Uber menu is also quite nuanced. Ikura don is my all time favourite, unique to Nishikian. Again, very generous with portions and this comes with a free miso soup. Their udon has that taste of Japan which I am unable to describe. The noodles have that chewy texture that I favour over some of those store bought packets.

Service quality is great in restaurant and over Uber. The team leave these wholesome little notes every time I order from them - please protect them at all costs. The fact that they’ve lasted pre and post Covid and continue to maintain high service quality is testament to their greatness. If you’re planning a date night or are in need of good Japanese cuisine, this is the...