Reviews Grand Lafayette

Japanese food as an all you can eat style buffet. Yes please. Welcomed into this fun venue by lovely staff, it was clear that this concept works, as Grand Lafayette was packed with hungry diners. The large space is inviting and modern with plenty of seating and a cool atmosphere.

Beginning with the cocktail list, we ordered some fun drinks. One came served as a drip. Very theatric as the cocktail dripped from it's pouch, through a long tube into the glass. Delicious and a fun start to our dinner. We made our way through the menu and ordered a range of different options from different sections of the menu. Rather than a traditional buffet, the food that you order is brought to the table for you. We had spicy fried tuna sushi, tempura eggplant, dumplings, chicken san choy bow, bao, fried tofu and beef teriyaki. The food arrived promptly and although the serves are quite small, you can order as much and as often as you like. We found this to be plenty of food for two of us.

All the dishes were fresh and tasty. An abundance of flavour and a great way to try Japanese food. Standout dishes for me were the volcano sushi as it was lovely and spicy; the bao with it's fluffy buns, and the crispy tofu.

Overall, the service was amazing and the vibe bustling and busy. Grand Lafayette is a fun place to dine, and with it's abundance of flavour and texture, I will be back to try more of the delicious dishes on the menu.

Perfect place for all occasions. Grand Lafayette caters to all demographics with a huge variety of Japanese infusion dishes to choose from. And with an all you can eat buffet, you can try everything on the menu, and I feel like we almost did!

As we entered the restaurant, the staff member welcomed us in a friendly manner and although our booking was not found, he sat us down promptly.

It took us a bit of time to decide what to get at first because there were so many options and we wanted to just try them all.

There were so many highlights for me. The fried chicken dishes were so crunchy and tasty and some of the best I've had.
The cold meat dishes like the beef tataki and the kingfish had a beautiful flavour and melted in the mouth.
We absolutely loved each of the baos as well especially the eggplant one, we ended up ordering this one multiple times.

I also ordered a rose drink which was just beautiful. It took a bit of time for the rose sphere to melt into the coconut water but once it did it was so incredibly refreshing and light with a subtle rose flavour.

And of course I can't go without mentioning the signature rainbow drop desserts. I've never seen anything like it. Very unique, light and refreshing and just wow to look at.

Overall, I had an amazing experience here. Super friendly staff, with SO much food! Every single thing was full of flavour and cooked perfectly.
I highly recommend Grand Lafayette to anyone and especially those who love Japanese food!

This all you can eat Japanese institution just off Chapel Street serves up classic Japanese cuisine with a modern twist. Although it was a very busy time, the waiters seemed to struggle with the load. Most of the food we ordered was delivered to the wrong table but after we spoke to them they quickly rectified this problem and gave us our meals shortly after.

The food and presentation was to a high standard and all tasted delicious. We found all meals to be very fresh and flavoursome! The drinks were very unique too and presented very nicely.

The people serving us were friendly but be aware of going on a busy night! Overall enjoyed the food

Overall really delicious food and really friendly staff. Bit of a long wait for food on v day as it was full house but well worth the wait.

Love the environment and all the food here! The foods all look very attractive and taste delicious too! Definitely worth to have a go! With a buffet price under $40, even fried rice is very delicious!!

4.5

We came here to try the all you can eat menu and it was a great deal. The menu was innovative and had a lot of options, my favourite dishes were the salmon cappacio, trio of fish, kingfish, the pork belly in lettuce wrap and the fried chicken! The dishes came at a steady face and service top notch. One of the coolest things they had here was the IV drip drink- this was very sweet but you could always ask to get it diluted

Thanks for having us!

The most fabulous all you can eat Japanese experience! Exciting cocktails and delicious food. We left super full and satisfied 😍 Pictured is the Witch Antidote cocktail in a super cool IV drip!! Highly recommend Beef Bao and Takoyaki. And the incredible raindrop cakes are a must try!

We first visited Grand Lafayette in Port Melbourne, now they've set up a new restaurant in Prahran with ALL YOU CAN EAT Japanese.

Everything is cooked fresh and there are plenty of options to choose from.

Make sure you try their famous cocktails and the raindrop desserts!

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Yummy food, small portions but I think this is good if you want to try a lot of different things (without getting too full). Slow service is a bit frustrating when you’ve got limited time to eat.

Boxing Day? Not for me, I don’t like to wait in lines 🤭😂 It was ALL YOU CAN EAT ASIAN FEAST DAY! 🎉

Fayette is probably one of the words that I like the most because it reminds me of something festive and magical 🥳 and actually it is the French baby’s name for petite little fairy! 🧚‍♀️ and I think that couldn’t have been more appropriate for this place because the experience was a whole big little fairy tale!

Grand LaFayette is possibly one of the most beautiful and creative Asian-inspired venues I have been to. Not just for the instagramable plates, glittering and very colourful meals - seriously, that presentation is just insane 👏 - but actually because they I actually have a direct relationship with them!👩‍⚕️

No, I still haven’t turned Asian 😂 And while medically I must make the disclaimer that there is no health advantage whatsoever of getting vitamins though an IV drip, there is certainly a happiness advantage of drinking cocktails from IV bags! 🤭

The place is beautiful located at Prahran, on one small road perpendicular to the main road and very easy to find. Once you walk close to the venue, you can see right away that it will be a clear winner and that expectation will be surpassed even! I think they clearly have significant experience and know how to please the costumers from all fronts - from the beauty of the place itself to the curiosity and peculiar presentation that it creates with the drawings of the food on the menu.

They have one of the most affordable all-you-can-eat spreads too ($39.8 for all the food you want in 90 minutes!) and it’s a fairy tale journey you don’t want to miss. Oh no 🥳 you pay the drinks and desserts on the side and there is an incentive to bring children even as under 11 years old only pay $29.8 and under 3 years old eat for free! It’s definitely a place where a family could have an enjoyable lunch/dinner and unforgettable experience!

We didn’t ask everything from the menu, but we sure did ask most of it and I’m very happy to say that everything we tried I certainly recommend. Most of the meals came with a beautiful presentation, flawless in taste and quality of ingredients and they service was fast and what we asked came promptly delivered. They have more ‘usual/basic’ Asian options and they have things that I’ve never seen in any other place and are TERRIFIC! We were quite happy with our choices and here’s what we tried:

- Miso Soup - normal size portion and with an extremely enjoyable flavour. Definitely very much appreciated! For the ones that don’t know, miso soup is a traditional Japanese soup consisting of a stock called "dashi" into which softened miso paste is mixed in, and I’m an absolute fan. Would recommend even so that you can experience the unique taste of the other meals more!

- Edamame - another classic in the Asian cuisine and featuring immature soybeans in a pod. They were fresh and we absolutely loved it.

- Trio of Fish - it’s one of their newly added items to the original menu and it has cucumber, papaya, sago, lotus root, onion and spring onion. The presentation is perfect and inviting and I loved how it combined three fresh and nicely cut fish: salmon, tuna and king fish. My absolute favourite part was also the lotus that came crispy and gold, as well as the sago - so good! Definitely recommend!

- Salmon Tataki - again, a new item and quite an interesting one! You would think that it would be more complex than it comes in the picture but it was certainly a surprised when it arrived - it actually looked quite small and minimalistic with just a few pieces of salmon in what it seemed to be a yellow sauce. Oh man, we were so wrong again! This was possibly the most flavoursome meal we had and it comes not only with the nicely cut portions of salmon, but also with green tomato slices, all mixed in a passionfruit, dill and capsicum sauce! If this isn’t the definition of being bold I don’t know what is 👏 and it’s wonderfully achieved! It seems like a famous gourmet meal! It won’t be as ‘gourmet’ you wanting to luck the plate though 😂👌

- Yuzu Kingfish - probably the simplicity of the meal fools you, but this is again a true delicacy! With some perfect cut slices of kingfish, the presentation is on point and it comes with some yuzu soy dressing and a few condiments on top. The most incredible thing is the wasabi salt that you can’t really tell that wasabi peculiar taste from trying it but I’m sure that without it, it would lack taste. Very well done!

- Takoyaki - fried octopus balls. And although would say no to this straight away because ‘fried’, I cannot recommend this enough 👏 I actually even visited The Takoyaki Museum in Japan and had these three for the first time and since then... I’m an absolute lover! The balls are relatively small in size as they usually are and inside you find a paste with octopus that is not overly sweet or salty but extremely pleasurable. Usually they come topped with some mayo and bonito flakes for the extra flavour and this was certainly no exception! But the gold medal goes to tonsaku sauce that is a thick, sweet, and salty sauce usually made from pork and pairs so nicely with the fried balls. I want to also highlight that none of this seems greasy or oily and usually the Asian oils for cooking are also ‘healthier’, so I would say that is a MUST for anyone to try!

- Crispy Eggplant - probably the biggest surprise of them all (besides the size of the sushi slices, but we’ll get there with time!). I had heard and tried eggplant chips and by definition being chips it’s certainly something more oily, right? Enjoyable, healthy is but still more heavenly fried. Well while some places might be the case then these are NOT eggplant chips at all! They are something so much better! I seriously don’t know how they do it but they manage to create such an enjoyable combo by mixing teriyaki vinegar with peanut butter (I know, it’s surprisingly so good that I can’t believe it!). It comes sprinkled with some sesame for that extra Asian touch and I loved it so much that I actually gots second one! I would also recommend not eating it while it is too hot as once it cools down a bit, it’s even more enjoyable! Linking fingers indeed here 🤤

- Chilli Yuzu Harumaki - these are the usual and famous Asian spring rolls and they come with cherry tomato, red onion, spring onion, coriander and shallot and i’m an absolute lover of spring rolls so this was definitely highly appreciated! Very nicely arranged, not greasy and gently packed with flavour!

- Tempura Cooked Tuna Maki - quite an interesting combination for sushi! I am actually such a social lover but actually this was something that I had never experienced before. With cream cheese, tempura flake, cooked tuna and avocado this was such a diverse experience of flavours! The cooked tuna is quite soft and it comes nicely paired with the avocado in a BIG BIG piece! The nori has some kind of tempura feels and and then it all comes dressed up with in a bicolourful drip. It is outstanding the presentation, the serving size is impressive and you will certainly be overwhelmed by how big it is compare to some of the other meals from the all you can eat choices! Personally I preferred the options described below this one but this one was certainly very good and different too!

- Salmon Volcano Maki - probably my second flavour meal of them all and again what stands out is definitely the massive size! 👏👏👏 the taste is probably one of the best makis I’ve ever had and it came with surimi sea sticks, cucumber and candied mayo, which was a delight combo. The salmon on top was impressive and of great portion. You will definitely laugh at yourself for trying to put the whole piece in your mouth😂 there are some small herbs on top which does make it seem like a vulcano and I would DEFINITELY RECOMMEND!

- Miso Grilled Salmon - it’s one of their mains and it comes with two pieces of salmon marinated in a sweet and savoury miso, a huge rice cracker, some spring onion and pickle. The salmon was cooked to perfection and it came nicely presented and with one broccoli next to it . In fact the whole presentation of the meal is outstanding and it looks again like one of those gourmet meals. It comes in a large plate and with circular designs or an utterly delicious sauce. Overall, simple but complex!

- Baked Scallops - wow, wow! This was actually surprised so clean it comes with some shells of a massive size and in the middle you can find a normal size scallop that compare to the shell will look quite small 😂👌  the surprising part is that the source where it came gave me some mixed feelings as for one hand it is mildly spicy, and on the other hand it is delicious! It is a garlic chilly sauce And even though I’m not a huge fan of these chilli sauces, this ends up being more like mayo with a slight spicy hint than anything else! And surprise surprise, I hated/loved it 😂 loved he taste and my very sensitive tongue didn’t like the tiny spicy level. I would certainly ask again!

- Gua Bao - these are steamed baos and a very popular Taiwanese food with a lot of variants found across China! They have 4 versions here being:
1. Pork Belly Bao - with braised pork belly and teriyaki sauce
2. Fried Chicken Bao - with chicken karaage and sweet chilly sauce
3. Braised Beef Bao - with braised beef and Japanese sweet soy sauce
4. Eggplant Tempura Bao - tempura eggplant and wasabi mayo
To be honest I didn’t feel like the baos were at the quality level of all the other food and the ones I tried even though they were good, they didn’t stand out. The eggplant just came with a slice and despite having a good portion of wasabi mayo (very interesting!) the proportion of the bao was too much for the filling. The same with the braised beef one. The baos themselves, I was expecting a slightly softer taste and although the size was good, I would personally expect more creative things with the baos, considering the other items on the menu. I’m sure the are more than able to come up with something more extra as it’s in their true nature with the rest of there menu!

- Raindrop Cake (Tokyo Express, Matcha Lover, Angel Kiss & Tiffany Blue) - beautiful in presentation and very curious item! So this is actually not a cake but more of a stylish blob of jelly that has no flavour whatsoever because it’s made of agar and house-filtered water. Like they say on the menu it is light and fresh, refreshing and quite delicate and... it gives that wobbly movement when you plan with it 😂 I gave my opinion to the staff and chef about what I thought about these and how I thought they could be improved. The best one is definitely by consensus the Tokyo Express made with brown sugar - it tastes like biscuit! Next comes the Matcha Lover that has an enjoyable matcha flavour just on point. Third comes the Tiffany Blue that is supposed to represent mint but honestly it didn’t taste like much at all (there was a small hint of it occasionally but nothing much and I kindly said that it could certainly be improved even by doing it with blue butterfly powder of blue spirulina!). And last one, the Angel Kiss that is supposed to be roses but it tasted like nothing at all - I suggested to have some beetroot or even change it to a taro one with a purple colour!). To eat these drops, you should spread the powder that comes at one end, to the top of the drop and then cut the jelly with the provided small spoon, aiming for a mix of jelly and powder (otherwise just eating the jelly will have no flavour). Definitely instagramable and one of their famous items since their launch and I cannot wait to see what they come up with soon to take these to the next level!

- Witch Antidote - their one and only cocktail in a IV bag drip! The original version is a cocktail but it can be done without alcohol and that’s what I asked for ☺️ it is made from strawberry, lime, blueberry, apple and blackcurrant, and either smoking tequila or Japanese yuzu. It is a true show to be watch the bag drip and pour inside the glass - not sure it that’s because of my medical background 😂 - but I absolutely loved the taste 👏 the size is significant too and I have to say that I’m very proud of the dripping shot too 😂👌

- Japanese Mint Cocktail - we were kindly advised to also get a specialty peppermint based cocktail that looked definitely refreshing and delicious! Even the simplest drinks are impressive and to be honest while I don’t really have much experience asking drinks (just food, always food 😂) I have been recently surprised with so many great options like this one turned out to be.

- Christmas blue cocktail - it is one of the Christmas special drinks that became so popular that will probably stick to the usual menu! Yes, this is not going away soon as people have been asking and asking for it repeatedly and you can definitely understand why! The looks are impressive and blue is just beautiful and bright ☺️ and while I didn’t get to try it because of the alcohol content and lactose content of the whipped cream on top, I was quite envious 😂 no, not many things would make me envious but this was certainly one of them! Please come up with an allergen friendly option 🙏❤️😂🤗

And my final opinion and best thing I probably read at a cafe this year goes to the BEST MENU ETHOS: ‘Love Food, not waste. Penalties apply for food wastage, $10/100g for over ordered food’. I resonate with this so much and I personally never waste food so I couldn’t support this more 👏 I had the BEST TIME and I OBVIOUSLY want and will visit again! A big congratulations to the whole team!

We were back at Grand Lafayette last night and in the 12 months since our last visit the price has gone up and the portions have gotten smaller. Portions don’t particularly matter to some extent as it’s an all you can eat situation so essentially you’ll just order more. I guess this helps them manage wastage which I’m fine with it was just a bit of an adjustment given my expectations (see photos from original visit).

The food quality was much the same and I suppose the smaller sizes means you can order more variety. There were a few new things on the menu and the salmon tataki is now done with a passion fruit sauce which was quite enjoyable. The most impressive thing however was the cocktail in a drip. Such a unique and clever idea I simply had to have it for the novelty factor. I definitely recommend ordering this, how could you not try it!

Further update
We were invited back to GL for another delicious dinner. We also tried the intriguing calorie free rainbow cake. I really liked the uniqueness of this interesting dish and it was very light and refreshing. Beef tataki, chicken karrage and yuzu kingfish were the standouts, prettily presented and delicious flavours. Absolutely loved the entire Japanese menu including the yummy sushi. Thoroughly recommend!

Update
We were invited to the Grand Lafayette launch party last night having recently relocated from a smaller Port Melbourne location. I was so thoroughly impressed with the space and the food offerings, we were lucky enough to sample dishes from both the breakfast and dinner menus and it was a superb event.

I sipped a refreshing watermelon juice while devouring the breakfast fare of chicken and waffles and matcha French toast. An exceptionally made waffle and for someone who doesn’t much like matcha I loved the French toast! The steak sandwich was up next and the salmon with soba noodle. Both delicious. I didn’t like the chicken bao as much but I’m going to say that’s because it was cold by the time I ate it!

The miso salmon was possibly my favourite. I love that miso flavour and the salmon was perfectly cooked. The Angus steak to finish slow cooked for 48 hours and served with pumpkin purée. I honestly find it difficult to chose a preference between brunch and dinner so stellar are both menu offerings. You be best placed to come and stay for the entire day!


Original review
This place is utter perfection. Met up with my friend and her fur child for lunchtime fun in the sun sampling this Asian inspired menu. I'm going to say the best breakfast to be found in the area. I had a cured salmon special with poached eggs and avocado and was absolutely delighted. They are doing creative and exciting food that brings a bit of joy to your morning. Think rainbow lattes and raindrop cakes, shaking up the stuffy breakfast scene in Port Melbourne. Super impressed

I recommend coming here with a larger group of friends so you can try more variety without getting too full. The food is way worth it’s price and it’s presentation and taste is super amazing. You only get to order 3 times though so be sure you order what you want within 3 times. The beef bao was so succulent and tender, highly recommend. I enjoyed the scallops and pork belly and although I didn’t get to try many sushi rolls as they would have been too filling for 3 people, the one I did was amazing. Paired with the aesthetics of this place, would definitely recommend Grand Lafayette and I’m looking forward to going again soon!!

A solid 4.5 (had it not been for slow service)
😱Lizzie’s first impression: I had no idea they do an All-you-can-eat buffet style concept at night - but it is one with quality and style. 

🍩Lizzie enjoyed: I was really impressed by all the dishes that were offered - think all the wonderful Japanese dishes that you enjoy like beef tataki, kingfish in ponzu, fried karaage, gyozas and so much more. Each of them tasted really nice and I'm so astounded to see that the prices were so cheap per person.

The drinks had a really interesting concept - mine being a drink coming off an IV drip and my friends drink was blue and had a eye ball on the plate. 

🍅Lizzie did not enjoy: I must say, the service is the slowest I've ever seen in a restaurant. Although, all of the staff are running around like headless chooks, there simply isn't enough staff to cater for a full house (which feels like all weekend). 

🥇Lizzie rates overall: I loved this place and I highly recommend for groups as it's best to share and taste many dishes all at once (no wonder we heard the birthday song being sung over 4 times that night on different corners!!) I will be back!

Had a great time trying the all you can eat Japanese menu for lunch! Was surprised at the number of food choices and how tasty and beautiful they all were. Really enjoyed all the food there - the drinks were also great. Took a while to order but the food came out fast. Staff were extremely friendly. Would come back!

Grand Lafayette is the Instagram-famous cafe and restaurant in Prahran. Famous for their novelty drinks, beautiful brunch, and the most incredible all-you-can-eat Japanese lunch/dinner.

The venue is large, spacious, and has an industrial vibe to it - almost like a warehouse. With high ceilings, large tables, and a pretty mural along the wall.

We tried the AYCE on this occasion and I was honestly so impressed! There is so much variety to choose from, and every single dish is so intricately presented.

We sampled so many different dishes, but my top recommendations would have to be the Salmon Tataki, Yuzu Kingfish, Salmon Volcano Maki, Crispy Chicken Maki, and Baked Scallops. All of the Freakshii we tried were amazing! The Chicken Katsu was also a highlight, the chicken was very tender and the outside was very crispy.

We also tried their Signature Cocktails - the Mimosa Poison and the Witch Antidote. The mimosa was so cute and vibrant blue, and came with an ‘eyeball’ made of lychee and blueberry. The latter came in a drip-feeding bag, and you could even write your name and blood type on it to add to the experience. Out of the two, the Witch Antidote was my favourite as I loved that it was lightly sparkling and had a hint of yuzu. Honestly, their creativity is out of this world!

I had such an amazing experience at Grand Lafayette, and I would definitely recommend their AYCE menu!

Thank you so much for having me!

Awesome place for lunch or dinner on the weekday or weekends. Unbelievably good sushi and tataki. This will be the first stop we bring friends and family to when they visit Melbourne. Drinks are awesome, food is awesome, service is always friendly. 3 times in 2 months. Can't get enough.

Great value and good food to match.

Was sceptical when I saw this deal thing this would be too good to true. But was shocked.

Have to start with how the nice the venue is, great decor, large space, comfy seats.
There is a large variety of options and the items are quality Japanese food. The waiters are quite busy so it is hard to catch them, food comes relatively quick, some items take longer than the others.

Items that were great are the scallops, crispy chicken maki rolls, salmon tataki, chicken karage. Was not a big fan of the Angus steak or the pork slices (some pieces were cooked well, others were too hard).

Just discovered this place for dinner and love it.  Food quality, especially for an all you can eat set price is excellent. Each dish was delicious, starting with the Miso soup, which was excellent. The Seeweed Salad, which I love, was also really really good, and the other dishes, from the maki - salmon, prawn and soft-shell crab were fantastic. The sushimi like dishes, and we had tuna, salmon, kingfish and a meat carpaccio were all wonderfully done with superb dressings. The selection was really vast, which was part of the problem, as we wanted to try everything. Oh the gyoza was some of the best I have had anywhere, and the chicken dishes, and there were 4 or 5 varieties were also tasty and different. Totally wonderful value for $32.80 per person, especially when you are hungry. They do charge a penalty if you over order and do not finish ! The reason I took off one star was because the service is not that great when they are busy, and there were dishes we ordered that we did not get, but for food quality, presentation and deliciousness, it would definitely have been 5 stars.

Definitely full of imagination, the menu has some interesting and different things to try. I had the “Tiffany Blue” mint Raindrop Cake and the “Angelet” rose Monster’s Drink. The raindrop cake was surprisingly yummy and very refreshing and the drink was a nice blend of rose and coconut. I will definitely be going make to try the rest of the menu!

I recently returned to Grand Lafayette to try their EXPRESS LUNCH menu! Heaps of options all priced at $10 I thought they tasted great and were great value.

If you haven’t tried the chicken and waffles from #GrandLafayette yet, you’re REALLY missing out! We honestly don’t think we’ve found crispier, juicier, boneless chicken that tastes THIS good.

The sweet, fluffy waffle and the tangy mixed berry coulis paired with the savoury flavours of the southern-inspired chicken are an unusual yet delectable combination.

And did we mention how lovey the staff and service are?! Major points to this inner suburban cafe for their creative take on brunch!

Check us out on Instagram for more reviews @brunchingintheburbs 🍳

What a refreshing, bright open space and great well-priced menu items to choose from.

We came here for the express lunch service. We booked in for a mid week lunch however found there to be ample seating at this time. We may've just been lucky as reviews I've read in the past indicated the constant crowds here due to its popularity. Will come back to try more options on offer.

SERVICE: 4/5
Warm and friendly throughout. Meals didn't take long to arrive and we were checked-in on during the meal. We did notice that after our waitress asked if we needed anything else, our request for chilli never arrived but hopefully it was uncommon and may've a sign I need to ease on the chilli!

FOOD: 4/5
I had the kimchi fried rice which was clean and simple in presentation and flavour was enjoyable especially for a speedy lunch. My friend had the pork ramen which he finished quite quickly however it should be noted there are no condiments to add if you did prefer that. That may've been resolved if we requested it. Overall similar menu items were around $10 which presents good value for money.

DECOR & AMBIENCE: 4.5/5
Minimalistic modern industrial is how I would describe it. Large space that made an impact as you first enter. The large windows also bring in that glorious light and the space is finished off with just the right amount of greenery.

KID FRIENDLY: Yes, loads of space incl your pram if you need to.

I was so excited to try this cafe as all of the photos l was seeing were stunning. So- to say my expectations were high was an understatement.
All of the dishes were superb! They were so colourful, but most importantly they were full of flavour. The drinks here are a must order too! Especially the cocktails (so creative).
We were so well looked after too. All the ladies were absolutely lovely.
Definitely a stand out cafe in Melbourne.
Thank you so much 😊💗☕️xx

The food is exceptional!! It was well proportioned and very very delicious! The pork belly bao was extremely flavoursome. The confit duck was crispy and was to die for. The wheatbuck noodle and salmon well presented and delicious! Will definitely come back

Good place! Food is quality! Service is good! Not enough on the menu though. Excellent presentation of foods and cocktail drinks something to order.

***UPDATED***

We came here on a Thursday Night for their ALL YOU EAT JAPANESE and we were thoroughly impressed!

For only $36.80 per person, you can choose from an array of entree, tapas style, freakshii (maki) and main dishes and order as much as you like!

Every dish we ordered was so delicious and fresh! Their signature freakshii dishes was our favourite and ordered so many different flavours!

There were so many dishes to try that we couldn't get through all the menu that we know we have to come back!

Customer service was fantastic! They were attentive and made sure dishes were cleared when we were done and came a few times to check if when we are ready for more dishes.

Again, amazing place for dinner and brunch! Highly recommended and looking forward to returning!

WHAT A STUNNING CAFE!

We have been wanting to visit this cafe for a while now as we have been intrigued with their brunch/lunch menu and we are always excited to try new things!

Upon arriving at the venue, we were immediately greeted with a friendly smile. Being our first time there, the waitress gave us a run down of the menu with recommendations of their most popular dishes. We appreciated this as we believe this is what customer service is all about.

We were impressed with the variety of items on the menu, there was definetly something for everyone! The menu is the definition of Melbourne Brunch x Asian/Japanese inspired and we loved it!

FOOD
The MATCHA FRENCH TOAST was so moist! The match was surprisingly perfect and did not overpower everything on the dish. Topped with caramel popcorn, definetly enjoyed this sweet dish.
CHICKEN & WAFFLES= obessed! We were impressed by the portion of this dish! The fried chicken was crispy, tender and moist. The perfect combination with the warm waffles topped with maple! Also, totally surprised at how delicious everything tasted with the seasonal berries and berry coulis.
SALMON & SOBA NOODLES was so tasty! Salmon was cooked well and so delicious. A great option if you're looking for more of a lunch dish!
RAINDROP CAKE (ANGEL KISS) was a wonderful way to end our brunch! It was light and very flavoursome and with almost zero calories, it's the best kind of dessert!

DRINKS
We ordered the RAINBOW LATTE which itself is a work of art! The MATCHA MATCHA FREAKY SHAKE brought back so much memories of childhood with the toppings which included fruitloops but very adult at the same time due to the matcha flavour. The ANGLET MONSTER'S DRINK was simply pretty but creative!!

Ordered the all you can eat with a mate, kingfish was probably the winner out of them all, katsu was delicious, every dish was flavourful and service was excellent, highly recommend this place

There's a lot of variety which we really enjoyed. Serving sizes were good - small enough that we could just try it first but big enough that all four of us had enough to taste. Most of the dishes seemed to use fresh ingredients and tasted great. Two of us found the baked scallops a bit too oily but the other two quite liked them. The creative cocktails were a fun experience, just a little pricey.

There didn't seem to be enough staff as they all seemed to be rushing around. We had to wait a while for someone to greet us when we arrived. It was also a little hard to ask for water or order more. However, they were really nice when they did have time to serve us, and also quite accomodating in letting us add a dish after they took our last order.

The restaurant is spacious and brightly lit. We had a large round table in the back but as it had a hole in the middle, it was difficult to place dishes on the table.

Grand Lafayette staff were extremely nice. The food was spectacular and very filling! The Baos were filled with flavour and the eggs were poached perfectly. The cafe is big enough to fit large groups so make sure you tell your friends and go visit Grand Lafayette!!

Everything here was incredible! My friend and I really enjoyed the tasty food and the friendly service! My favourites included the Fried Chicken Burger and Berry Punch Freaky Shake!

Update: they have a new all you can eat menu and we loved it!

Always a fun time here and loooved celebrating Christmas and new year here with their all you can eat Japanese menu and creative drinks! 🍱🥢🍹
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They now have new options on their all you can eat menu including some of my favourites - beef sukiyaki, sweet potato chips, trio of fish, salmon tataki, crispy eggplant and lettuce wrap chicken! ♥️
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We really enjoyed their festive drinks too, which are both super pretty and delicious too!
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The Gin-glebell and Gin-ger bread are both great choices!🍹🍪
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We had such an amazing experience here at Grand Lafayette! They have such unique food and drinks - we love trying out new things!
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Confit Duck (4 hours slow cooked duck leg served with black rice, onion, chorizo, broccolini and pumpkin toast) - one of their signatures, absolutely loved how they cooked this, this is so goood! Would definitely order again and again!
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Corn & Zucchini Fritters (Zucchini, capsicum, corn, onion, coriander, served with radish, enoki, cherry tomato in green curry with extra bacon and avocado) - I’ve always loved corn fritters, and this is definitely one of my favourites! The extra bacon and avocado also did add to how delicious this dish already was!
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Matcha French Toast (with caramel popcorn, puffed rice, seasonal fruits and matcha sauce) - this dish looks so pretty guys, and if you love matcha, definitely order this! Absolutely enjoyed it!
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Tokyo Express Raindrop Cake (brown sugar flavour) - This was a very good and light dessert to end your meal with, and the brown sugar is gooood!!!
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Apart from their amazing food, they are also so creative with their drinks!
‘Mimosa Poison’ - the blue color looks super cool and it’s served in a small bulb bottle with a side of an eyeball 🍸👁☠️
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We also had the ‘Witch’s Antidote’ (which I’m guessing will reverse the effects of the poison 😆) - made with squeezed strawberry, lime, blueberry, apple and blackcurrent, served in a drip bag with choice of smoked tequila or Japanese Yuzu (we opted for the Yuzu, and it was yum!)🍹
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We visited for brunch by the way, which has a different menu from dinner! Can’t wait to try their dinner menu soon!

Woooowwwwww!!! 10/10 for food!! Very cheap all you can eat buffet with amazing food, cannot complain. Do not expect very much for service, I lost count of how many waitresses were trying to run orders. They needed more attentive staff who can take orders and clear plates off tables as well. The baked scallop and tuna sushi were my favourites

A popular modern Japanese restaurant among Melburnians and tourists alike, conveniently located at 9 Clifton St, Prahran. We had an absolutely amazing experience in this beautiful, spacious venue. Staff were super friendly and the food was simply luscious 🫶🫶🫶 We were delighted to try their new a la carte menu. We indulged in these delicious fusion/ Japanese Classics 💛 (☞ ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)☞ TUNA TARTARE - soy yolk, avocado, rice puff $26.50 (☞ ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)☞ BEEF TATAKI - soy yolk, scallion,onion - $27.50 (☞ ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)☞ PRAWN & ORA KING SALMON ROLL - broccolini, avocado, aburi-mentaiko- $25.50 (☞ ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)☞ BAKED SCALLOPS -pickle, salt flake, chilli garlic sauce - $27.50 (☞ ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)☞ ASSORTED TEMPURA -seasonal veggies, prawns, daikon - $36.50 (☞ ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)☞ CHICKEN KATSU CURRY DON - $23.50 (☞ ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)☞ KARAAGE BAO - coral lettuce, garlic soy, pickle - $9.00 (☞ ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)☞ AGEDASHI TOFU - carrot, enoki, sweet soy - $17.50 (☞ ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)☞ BANANA FRITTER - crumble, berries, maple syrup, ice cream - $17.00 (☞ ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)☞ MATCHA LOVER- signature raindrop cake w/ green tea flavour - $9.00 Presentation, quality and taste were spot on👌👌👌 Dishes were presented with so much love and care 🫶 I highly recommend the chicken katsu curry don, karaage bao, beef tataki, agedashi tofu and of course the desserts! I am a sucker for tempura and had it all to myself - no sharing 😂

Last week we had the absolute pleasure to go back to Grand Lafayette to try their new a la carte menu. We used to love their all you can eat buffet but these dishes are actually much better than the ones we had before! They got lots of options including raw dishes, sushi, baos, small bites, tempura, don, rice, noodles, soup and Japanese curry 🍛 We tried a bit of everything and also ordered one of their famous raindrop cakes, which was really pretty and cool to eat 💙 If you are looking for a good Japanese feed in Prahran this is definitely the place to go 😉 Featuring: 1️⃣ Prawn and ora king salmon roll 2️⃣ Tempura eggplant bao 3️⃣ Karaage bao 4️⃣ Okonomiyaki stick 5️⃣ Ika tempura 6️⃣ Chicken katsu curry 7️⃣ Glazed Samon Aburi Don 8️⃣ California hako 9️⃣ Tiffany blue