Tokaiya — Restaurant in Melbourne

A Disappointing Experience at Takaya Japanese Restaurant, Ascendant North

I visited Takaya Japanese Restaurant in Ascendant North tonight, and I must say, it was one of the most disappointing dining experiences I’ve had in recent memory. From start to finish, the meal lacked authenticity, quality, and the finesse one expects from a Japanese establishment.

To begin with, the scallop tempura was a complete letdown. It arrived soggy, undercooked, and devoid of the signature crispiness that tempura is known for. The scallop itself was unpleasantly soft and tasted underdone — a concerning issue both in terms of texture and food safety.

For mains, my partner and I ordered the seafood udon soup, which was equally underwhelming. The broth was bland and uninspired, and the overall execution felt confused and far removed from any Japanese culinary tradition. It lacked the delicate balance and comforting depth that makes udon a beloved dish.

While I respect culinary fusion and diverse ownership in hospitality, I strongly believe that if a restaurant is marketed as Japanese, it should at least deliver on the fundamentals of Japanese cuisine. Authenticity and respect for the cuisine are essential — and sadly, both were missing here.

Takaya needs a serious reassessment of its menu, cooking standards, and culinary direction. As it stands, I cannot recommend it to anyone looking for a genuine Japanese...

Although I really want to rate it 4 stars, and focus on the positives, several things seriously detract from a 4 or 5 star experience. I'll start with price - for what is Sushi Sushi quality food (yep that takeout at every food court), the price seems extravagant for the variety and quality.

The $60 platter consists of an excess of cheap and unimpressive California rolls, and 2 each of Sake, Maguro and Suzuki; and 1 each of Tamago, Ebi and Unagi. There were also too many California roll cuts on the platter - sure make up the "count" of pieces, but not provide the quality and variety of what I expect of a platter.

For a $60 platter I would expect more pieces of Maguro, Tako, Ika, and Unagi, perhaps a few more Ebi, Toro or Tobiko to be included. Fair price for their $60 platter would be $30, no more than $35.

The California roll, at $10.50, is barely larger than one $3 takeout roll. Hardly filling or satisfying. I would need at least 3 or 4 dishes. Once again no better than a food court California roll.

We also had Kaisen Nabeyaki Udon Soup. The base was bland. Very bland. You would not find such a bland soup base in Japan. And believe me I know, living there for a year and eating hundreds of Udons, not to mention over 2000 individual nigiri (I counted).

A good point is the free pickled salad. Will we come back? Nah... Can get the same quality for 1/3 the price at the local food court...

We’re do I start we booked the restaurant for 6pm we were told we need to be out by 7pm that was fine, as we walk in the waiter asks to see our vaccination status which was fine but what did get me upset was that most of the waiters clearly didn’t wear their masks. The service was terrible we ordered our drinks 10 minutes later we asked may we please have our drinks ,then they take our orders food came out really slow and when our main meals came out the rice wasn’t with it so I had to tell them to take it away as our food would of been cold before our rice came out,and if you wanted a glass of water good luck with that as well. I clearly didn’t like the double standards of them asking for my vaccination status while there staff walk around with there masks under ther chin and some not wearing one at all. As for us after being a loyal customer for over 10 years they have lost me ,it’s time for us to find a new Japanese restaurant we’re we will enjoy the experience and not leave disappointed. In the last 2 years over the lockdowns I have always payed in cash to help but after my experience today I payed by card that’s how...