Review Wa Modern - Malvern

Once, under old management before it changed, as I read happened online, it was the best chicken I had ever had. I was so excited to order it again when I finally got a chance to, but this time, it was without a doubt the worst I've ever had. The. Worst. Sure things can vary a bit when order out from time to time, but to so radically go from the best I've had to the worst. Its so so disappointing and a pure waste of $20. If you're reading this, find another Japanese restaurant. Honestly. You're only buying disappointment here.

Been here a few times now( well more than few, more like once a week). I can't believe it's run by 2 person, one in front and one in the kitchen, some times there is a wait for the food but, it's well worth the wait, in mean time Yuriko will keep you happy with minimal but well thought after drinks list, but once the food come out the wait is over, the food is amazing, so far I have not yet find a fault in food. I'm sort of a person who loves to drink and eat few small dishes, so this place is perfect for me, every time I'm here there is a couple of new dishes on the special wich keeps me interested and happy, no doubt that I'll keep coming back to this place for the food and the service.

I would recommend chosing another restaurant! The food was okay, nothing special round 1 MKR standard. I ordered through uber eats which usually is reliable however when my meal arrived it wasn't my meal, well it was but only half of what I had ordered. I have tried to get in contact with WA Modern staff however it seems the phone is always unattended as I have been unsuccessful the past 3 days.

What a disappointing experience. My tastebuds were questioning whether there was any Japanese influence - or just soy sauce on most dishes....

one of the best Japanese restaurants I have been to in Melbourne...lucky its next to my office....so lunch everyday there!!!

Unfortunately has new management that are not Japanese with lots of Manadrin being spoken.

1 star is generous

😁😁😁

Don't waste your time to go to this restaurant. The worst Japanese restaurant in Melbourne. Food is terrible, dog is running in the kitchen, stock is always out. I think even I can run the restaurant better than this<br/>

This place is terrible. Groupon voucher purchased for a 7 course meal... I was greeted with "have you booked" when the place was literally empty except for us. They brought food out far too quickly, at one point we had 3 meals per person sitting in front of us and had to tell them to slow down, then ended up having to ask for the next course and waited 20 minutes. 2 of the 7 courses were "sold out" and substituted but they only advised us of one. They entirely missed one course and had no idea at all what they were doing. The food was nice as TAKE AWAY but I will never spend money on them again, I will find another place that actually has respect for their customers. DO NOT BOTHER.

Consistently mediocre. Walked in to an empty restaurant and was greeted by the uber eats driver. Not a great first impression. Service was amateurish and there were long gaps between some courses which, considering serves were small, meant you were hungry all the time. Nothing really memorable in the meal. The miso soup was the highlight. Wouldn't go back. 'Value' cited on voucher sites was way overestimated.

The worstest valentines dinner experience <br/>I was expecting a phenomenal 9-course Japanese banquet at the Valentine evening with my love. Everything was smooth as expected. We got seated and water is on the table. But as soon as I ordered the banquet as per Groupon, the waitress told me the restaurant is fully reserved and ask us to leave. I checked the T&Cs of the voucher, nowhere on the voucher states that the voucher should not be redeemed on Valentine's Day and it actually says valid Tuesday to Saturday, expires 17 May. <br/>The restaurant refuses to redeem the voucher on Valentine's Day and alleges they are fully booked, I just wander how I get seated at the first place.<br/>My girlfriend was really upset. I don't want to recall this experience any more, just to write it down so others are aware of their scam and then wipe the memory out.

Lovely service and great simple and tasty food ! <br/>Definitely recommend a degustation night there. <br/>The sashimi is fresh and authentic. <br/>The sauces are all made on site and have extensive selections.

Ordered through UberEATS at around 8:20pm and the food didn't arrive until 9:45pm which seemed a bit excessive for some sushi, sashimi and a Katsu curry, but without knowing how busy the restaurant is, can't complain too much. When it did arrive, it was delicious, the Katsu curry in particular was great. Not cheap due to the fresh and high grade fish being used but very, very tasty and held up well on the delivery front. Would try again but maybe pick it up myself!

Horrible rip off disgusting.....dont know how to describe my experience, i would give negative if i can<br/><br/>I came in with groupon, but is totally rip off, first no staff on the floor, walked in 5 mins keep saying "excuse me" until some one come out from the kitchen, no waiter at all, ppl from the kitchen to do waiter's work but doesnt know how to speak english, they changed the food from the set meun but without saying one word, nothinf is fresh even edamame is not fresh, feel like have been in the freezer ages and ages.<br/>Walked in 830pm, food come so sloooooooooooow( there was only 1 other table) , 955pm i feel like my ice cream going to take another half an hour to come so i just walk out, waste my time<br/>They should hire a waitress who know how to speak english, and hire someone who know how to cook<br/>

Average service only one waiter who had some remote idea of running a restaurant. <br/><br/>Thinking of one of those groupon deals? Well don't, it's a total rip off. Portions are tiny and been adjusted to value of groupon deal <br/><br/>Hopefully management read this and wake up. Service use to be really good. Unlikely to return unless desperate

I placed my order over the phone and made it very clear - one teriyaki chicken udon and one beef curry udon. What was delivered was the beef curry udon which was mostly beef fat and not the meat itself. While the chicken order was teriyaki chicken in a container and udon with miso soup. I was very unhappy with the order as it was incorrect and did not meet my standards.

great japanese food with modern twist<br/>my favourites:<br/>- edamame (best edamams i've had, although was the first time i tried it, may be skewed)<br/>- aburi nigiri (very good)<br/>- soba salad (very good)

Restaurant has been handed over. Food is still delicious but recommend take away or delivery as atmosphere and service are not to be found... We were alone on a Saturday night.

Dinner yesterday, and feel soo no welcome. Cold restaurant, staff more concern about their phones than service. Food was okay but I was better before.<br/>I don't know what happen to this place but food was good and the service was attentive. No anymore.

We had the tempura soba noodles in soy soup - delicious :) , and the curry udon - this dish did not have the usual mix of veg in jap curry. perhaps we just preferred traditional Jap curry .

Great delivery!! Ordered through Deliveroo and arrived fresh and hot this week. Spring rolls were amazing and full of vegetables, the gyoza delicious, tempura vegetables a bit oily but I guess that's what you get - chicken katsu was a thigh fillet and I prefer breast but partner loved it. Really good delivery if you are in the mood for Japanese!

Really nice layout and service. They were typically smaller portions for the price but were nice. Slightly slow food service considering we had the place to ourselves. Was good and no big complaints, but just a par evening meal.

I ordered the tuna chilli roll ($18), a sushi/sashimi platter ($37), and a serve of mix tempura ($18). My opinions are as follows:<br/>1) tuna chilli roll: bad rice, bad filling, horrible taste, disgusting texture. Did not have any taste of tuna or chilli. The only taste I got was a strange aroma of raw onion/leek and undercooked rice. The texture of the tuna filling was kind of gross - it was mushy, super soft and creamy. Rice in the roll was also bad. They used the wrong type of grains (long grains instead of short grains) to make the rice. It was also way too mushy / soft / as if overcooked with too much water. It also tasted like the vinegar was sprinkled over the rice instead of being cooked into it. Overall, the roll was really really bad and disappointing. <br/><br/>2) sushi/sashimi platter: the fish looked like it had been manhandled by multiple apprentice learning to cut raw fish for the first time. It was poorly cut and looked disgustingly limp and lumpy. There were large chewy skin and tendon strands that we had the pull out of our mouth. The texture of the fish was powdery/mushy and did not have the nice raw fish taste at all. Te sashimi was served kind of warm which made it even less appetising - warm, mushy powdery limp and lumpy raw fish. Te seaweed on the small sushi was super soft and soggy, as if it's been sitting on the bench all day. I did not finish the platter despite it being quite pricey. <br/><br/>3) mix tempura - probably the best out of the bad batch. It was OK. Average, shopping mall food court type of tempura. The batter was crispy but thick and hard like biscuit. (Unlike the ones from Tempura Hajime which had fluffy and light batter).<br/><br/>I would have rated the whole experience a 3, but the $76 bill brought it down to 2.5. It was very expensive for the kind of quality it served. Service was OK. When we got there, there were only 2 tables including us. Yet they managed to forget 1 of our orders even though we only oredere 3 dishes. Our teacup was empty until the very end, the waitress finally had time to refill it.<br/><br/>Would not recommend to anyone. Would not return.

Another catch up dinner with my friends around the area and we have decided to try this cute little japanese restaurant. Portions were generous with reasonable price, but the taste was just average? Couldn't find any highlights from all the dishes. Service was really lovely though, the staff was very nice in helping us when ordering.

Chili pork gyoza : served just on warm. Not heated properly. Mushy pork and no chili. No crunch. Just really soft. Taste was eh..<br/>Katsu pork: some parts tasted ok, some parts tasted old. Yummy mustard on the side but not enough. They had a drop of it!<br/>Eye fillet steak: not enough sauce. Burnt anyway... steak tasted off.<br/>Small bowl of rice not full and mushy.<br/>

Decided to try this place tonight. Ordered sashimi and sushi, both were average at best. The tofu salad was yummy but very small. The calamari was ok but made better by the dipping sauce. The highlight dish was the prawn tempura Wonton. Spent more than $70 for 2 people and don't feel like I got the value I wanted.

Wa Modern is the brand new Japanese restaurant at the quiet end of Glenferrie Road where Maris used to be. The food, a kind of modern Japanese fusion, is terrific. We've visited twice and while it's all great, my favourites are the Teriyaki Salmon Don and Soba Salad. The portions are huge. The Chicken Namban and Prawn Mayo Cracker are also excellent. Service is attentive and personable and the food comes out at a steady clip. I can't quite understand why this restaurant is so quiet. Go before it gets crowded. You won't regret it.

Ordered the ginger pork don from the lunch menu which came with miso soup for $16. For the price I paid, I thought this was just okay and the portion could have been bigger. <br/><br/>Someone at my table ordered a burger and for $15 his came with chips and a drink so his looked way more value for money.

What a rip off! Seriously high prices for small and ordinary serves. What on earth were they thinking when they priced a small handful of slithers of vegetables in tempura batter at $18? And five HALF chicken wings deep fried at $17? We ordered a lot of food, because everything was so small and after spending $180 on a few entrees and mains for our party of four we left feeling unsatisfied and ripped off. Nothing was terrible and nothing was fantastic. It was suburban Japanese fare charging top $ for food and ambience that well short of expectations that their pricing aimed for. <br/>Much better places around that area that cost considerably less.

It's 9.40pm the hungers have hit. Had soup for dinner, hasn't quite satisfied the hungry bear. Out for an adventure something new. Hmm this looks good, positive reviews let's give it a go. Ordered my favorite Katsu Curry and a serve of pork Gyoza, just to make sure the beast is content. Well, yum, very nice beautiful tender chicken, flavour packed curry, generous serve. And the Gyoza was very nice. Boy I'm glad I stopped here booking this one in for a few more go's. <br/><br/>Toodles

Located right at the southern end of Glenferrie Road, Wa Modern has been serving contemporary Japanese food since July last year. They also has a special lunch menu, though the dinner menu, which is mainly designed for sharing, is still available during lunchtime.<br/>Filled with lots of fresh seafood and combined with coriander, avocado and a touch of Kewpie mayo, the Wa Roll was

Just amazing. Lunch with gf and we just got so surprised how amazing the food and service is .. Clean and relaxed place to eat.<br/>We Will definitely be back!!

Been here a few times now( well more than few, more like once a week). I can't believe it's run by 2 person, one in front and one in the kitchen, some times there is a wait for the food but, it's well worth the wait, in mean time Yuriko will keep you happy with minimal but well thought after drinks list, but once the food come out the wait is over, the food is amazing, so far I have not yet find a fault in food. I'm sort of a person who loves to drink and eat few small dishes, so this place is perfect for me, every time I'm here there is a couple of new dishes on the special wich keeps me interested and happy, no doubt that I'll keep coming back to this place for the food and the service.

A TERRIFIC LITTLE PLACE. WONDERFUL FOOD AND EXCELLENT SERVICE IN A COSY SETTING !

The environment in Wa Modern gives a cozy feeling and the services is friendly and efficient. Food here is impeccably prepared by an amazing chef. Two thumbs up!!!

Awesome Japanese food!!! Just love it. Food is amazing and the customer service is great. One person out the front doing everything, the little lady is a machine. I highly recommend this place it's a hidden gem.

Food is AMAZING!. Have been here a few times already and seriously, possibly one of the best Japanese I have had in Melbourne. The flavours are authentic and clean, not commercial or conventional. Dishes are very traditional, but with a modern twist. The nasa dengaku, miso duck, salmon tataki, and the prawn mayo cracker are a must try. HIGHLY recommend this place as the price you pay is more than worthy, especially with what is offered!

Food was delicious especially the Wa roll and the Chilli roll. I think this will become a local favourite very quickly.

Wonderful food and staff. They were so welcoming and friendly the food was very delicious I'm going to make this place a regular place to eat and highly recommend

The best so far. I found most of the japanese restaurant selling sushi roll, never like it.<br/>love the sushi over this place. will come back it again.

DELICIOUS!. The miso duck with eggplant puree was amazinnnnng!!!!! The food was delicious and the waitress on the floor was so helpful and pleasent!!! I cant wait to come back, authentic japanese food! Loved it!!!

Gooooooooood!!!!!. I want to the Wa Modan with my family. it was so good!! <br/>this restaurant's staff is very friendly to children. <br/>and so nice food!!!!

Nice japanese food

Authentic jap food, yummy

Mag3. Awesome Japanese modern restaurant !!

Really delicious Japanese food. We had the special $80 for two menu and it was fantastic value and awesome quality and variety. We'll be back many times I can see.

We have visited this brand-new Japanese restaurant. Food was very authentic and yummy. Our most favourite would be Nasudengaku Gratin. It is very different from other's Nasudengaku but it definitely worths to try:)<br/>We are looking forward to going back there to try more dishes!

The delightful Yuriko Hinamoto, co-owner, in charge of the restaurant’s sleek service explained that the head chef and co-owner, Masa Harada, used to work at Koko in Crown Casino where we used to frequent regularly for their delicious, albeit seriously overpriced, sushi.  So we knew, straight away, that we would be sampling a great deal of sushi that day.  As it turned out –  Chef Harada is capable of a whole lot more than just sushi...