Wow! An exceptional experience. You don’t realise how amazing sushi can be until you eat it at Minamishima! Incredible in every way and every ‘course’ was memorable and a taste-bud extravaganza. Worth every cent.
Excellent high quality sushi that was well executed. Comparable to the ones I've had in Tokyo! There's been comments on the pricing. Believe it or not, it's actually reasonable in comparison to other high end sushi restaurants I've been to including Taka sushi. I do think water should not be charged at 20 per head though.
Then the main event, Chirashizushi (for two). It had 50 million tiny pieces of absolutely perfect fish on top of a bed of sushi rice and egg slivers. According to the menu we had o-toro, engawa, prawn, tamago, ikura, tuna, trout, Hokkaido scallops, anago, nori, kinshi tamago, cucumber, shiitake, kanpyo and bamboo shoot.
The highlights were the incredibly buttery torched engawa and the super sweet and tender scallops, but honestly every bit of it was amazing. Even the pickled ginger that came with it was extra delicious.
Pros: the flounder.. was glorious, definitely my highlight. It literally melted. All sushi were fresh and succulent and amazingly delicious. Service was incredible. Ambience, very classy. The chef and waitress keep an eye out on which hand you eat with and cater the sushi towards that side (I admit I confused them a bit because I eat with both hands because I'm ambidextrous and tend to swap hands while eating 😅).
Cons: yes, this place is expensive for what you do get and I admit you are never quite full most the time but the service and experience is worth to go at least once. Also kind of wished there was a little menu to list what we were eating.
Beautiful atmosphere, beautiful food, beautiful service. Came here for a special occasion and loved the experience. Quality of the ingredients was amazing, the fish was incredibly fresh; and presentation was lovely. Dessert was absolutely delicious as well.
Minimashima is the closest you will get to authentic omakase in Melbourne. The standout dish was the engawa (flounders edge). All the dishes had simple flavours, however, they all showcased the freshness of the produce. I was a tad disappointed that sake pairing was unavailable, but given the current climate, perfectly understandable. Service was excellent, drinks were continually topped up. Will definitely return!
Went for two friends 30th, went for the Okamase set, what an experience, the delicacy of the produce was amazing, bite and you get a full array of flavor from each dish, the stand out for me was the scampi, best piece of food I’ve eaten in a while, the scampi was so light and with the hit of lemon was delicious, the only criticism I have is with some of the nigiri dishes served, some I feel did not require wasabi inside as it detours away from the beautiful produce. Also at some stage I asked for tap water and towards the end I found they gave me sparkling water but very little nick pick things. Very exy for the dinner but great experience. Service was excellent and attentive.
Loved this restaurant experience. I was able to dine at the chef's table and watch the entire process which was amazing. Absolutely loved the torched flounder and the chawanmushi special.
![Zomato]( "Recensione")
Authentic Japanese culinary experience in a minimalistic fine dining setting. Visited for an anniversary dinner to enjoy an unforgettable omakase at the sushi counter.
Ambience:
Pairs were mostly seated at the counter and small groups at tables or private dining spaces. At the counter we watched 3 sushi chefs finesse and serve specialty nigiri from the chopping board to our black lacquer plates. Slightly dimmed lighting to spotlight the sushi counter and service plate. The kitchen was hidden as staff seemingly emerged out of the wall, retaining the sleek interior.
Food/Omakase:
I’ve included 2 collages of all the omakase dishes apart from one nori and rice cake piece from the chef’s hand directly to ours. The seasonal specials were a puffer fish and a wagyu nigiri. For an additional cost we opted for the wagyu. Highly recommend it; tender, juicy, perfect balance of fatty, soft, flavourful Japanese wagyu beef.
The omakase experience entails chef selection and preparation to accentuate the highlights of seasonal seafood prepared traditionally. To start we had a mandarin soba and rice cake in nori; a refreshing sweet and savoury appetiser, one cold one warm.
Then the nigiri was served one at a time; each piece had vinegared rice and featured seafood detailed with combinations of a brush of soy sauce, blow torch searing, wasabi variations and various other sauces. We watched the chefs skilfully craft each nigiri, place it on our plates to enjoy by hand too.
Sushi counter service finished with a tamago cake; sweet but refreshing. This was followed by a savoury soup and dessert of green tea cakes and dessert tea.
My personal nigiri favourites (see photos) were the wagyu, toro, scallop and one other fish which I can’t recall. While it is an expensive experience in total there were 18 omakase dishes (, we added the wagyu nigiri for a total of 19 (see collages, note rice cake in nori not pictured)
Service:
Service was impeccable, from the chefs timing each serving to your eating pace, explanations of every item and very attentive wait staff. The result; a satisfied belly, drinks topped up and your own plates as clean as the decor. Chef Minamishima was there too, focused during service but also very friendly.
Overall:
Truly an amazing experience to indulge in (even if you’ve recently returned from Japan like me!) while the price is steep I would return again on a special occasion.
Such beautiful interior and exceptional service. The chef and waiters were informative of each dish that came out. A beautiful selection of handmade Japanese cuisines. The omakase is a culinary experience lead by the most amazing chefs 🍣.
I came here for my birthday and we ordered the
Omakase set.
16 carefully curated dishes. The seafood is so fresh and the tuna cuts are perfect.
We ordered an additional wagyu nigiri which was on the house special. Exceptional with the most marbled and tender meat that melted in the mouth.
All dishes were so fresh and delicious and flavoured enough to not require any sauce.
There is a reason why this place is booked out and has a loyal following.
The seafood is fresh from Japan, New Zealand, Tasmania etc.
The service is attentive and genuine.
You must sit at the sushi bar to get the best experience of what is arguably the best sushi bar and nigiri in Melbourne.
We had the pleasure of dining at Minamishima in December for our Christmas celebration. We booked a table for 2 at the sushi bar to get the full experience, and it was amazing to see Minamishima himself in front of us not only preparing our dishes but also serving them to us.
The courses were mainly sushi/sashimi style, and it was wonderful! The quality and presentation of the food was remarkable. Everything was fresh and delicious!
Among the set course meny offerings, we also opted to order additionals, one of them being the ‘fugu fish’ (blowfish/puffer fish). Such an amazing experience I must say and definitely a must order when you’re here!
We had a wonderful time, with great food and service, and we are definitely thinking of going back and trying the table seating experience.
Finest Japanese you'll have in Melbourne, sitting at the bar is great as you see it being made as well. Omakase changes seasonally so always good to visit once in a while. As you'd expect the quality and taste of everything is superb
Amazing experience. Beautiful atmosphere and delicious food. Sat at the sushi bar and had the omakase menu, worth every cent. It will ruin other sushi for you
Minamishima is a true dining experience right in the heart of Richmond! From the moment you enter the quiet side door you are greeted by beautiful, friendly staff who will wait on you endlessly to make sure you enjoy your experience. With chefs bench seating option you can watch your own chef individually create every single piece of the best Japanese nigiri, sushi and more in Australia. Using the best of Australian and Japanese ingredients from seafood to Wagyu, all individually carved, seasoned and prepared to your plate, it truly is a must try at least once experience. You'll walk away with a new found appreciation for Japanese cuisine. This place is not cheap, but the service, quality of food, and experience is worth it for a special occasion. The 15 course degustation menu is perfectly balanced and you won't go wanting for more, despite specials on offer if you need. The wine/drinks list is divine too. Top marks and a great experience.
Had an amazing omakase experience which consists of ~10 nigiri and a few seasonal dishes in-between, finishing off with dessert and tea. Each piece of sushi felt substantial and satisfying; rice and topping is seasoned so soy sauce is not required. Although this place specialise in sushi, the other dishes were just as amazing. The ingredients, creativity and balance of flavour and texture in each dish was exceptional. There is also an option to add additional dishes if you don't mind spending more. Highly recommend the counter seat to see the sushi chefs at work but probably only possible for small groups.
Great food, great service, great atmosphere. Would certainly come back again. Sushi bar seating was very comfortable and had great view and interactivity with the amazing chefs.
A great Japanese fine dining experience that really celebrates the essence of the cuisine - the freshest produce, presented beautifully, enhanced by subtle technique.
Our group had the special fugu cheek and the otoro maki. The former was good but the latter was spectacular. The rest of the omakase was full of flavour that was always well balanced.
Definitely one of the best fine dining experiences out there. I will definitely be back (if I can get another booking!).
Fan-Fugu-Tastic. A 1st rate experience. Beautifully prepared sushi cuisine with nicely paired Sake and knowledgeable staff. Had a table for the intimate date experience, feel like the chefs bench may have even better. Not cheap but I didn't feel gouged.
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