komeyui

wonderful atmosphere, friendly staff & delicious food.. simplicity is at the core of komeyui japanese restaurant.

from the unassuming exterior flanked by tall floor to ceiling windows offering a tantalising glimpse into the warm, rich timber interior and smiling staff, the golden maple overtone of the tables, chairs and walls, the sleek uniforms of the friendly wait staff to the succinctly tempting menu.

everything about this place is inviting - welcoming you to delve deeper into its secrets.
when i stepped, the smiling hostess - whom i later learnt was the manager of the restaurant, ushered me in and sat me next to what i reckon was one of the best seats in the place, a little nook overlooking a zen-themed courtyard.

the sushi chef, stood behind the wide timber sushi counter, flashing a wide smile in greeting.

the manager was great, very professional - recommending us a host of popular dishes as well as a few specials she thought we might enjoy.

my dining companion was vegan and she suggested a few vegetarian options for us - the vegetarian sushi and the assorted tempura. we were offered pickled veg with tuna and they provided for him a special spinach pickle in sesame oil to have with his sushi.
for the meat-eater (me), she recommended the assorted sashimi and sushi, assorted tempura, chawanmushi and the soft shell crab sushi.

she also explained to us the process of how the food was made and how the chef-owner had imported a specially made large brass pot over from japan to steam/cook some of their specialty dishes.

it was these little details they remembered which really impressed us. most importantly, we weren't treated as just a 'number' -servicewas very prompt and personal.

we were offered a complimentary raw salmon platter as a welcome dish. it was delicious - paper thin slices of salmon, sprinkled with salmon roe and dotted with a thick seasoning.

there was a steady trickle of customers as we were served our food; many of them looked like regulars as they seemed familiar with what they wanted and seemed to know their way around the restaurant unlike us.

as we ate she would occasionally drop by to see how things were going, but made sure she didn't hover around while we enjoyed our food, which is great because sometimes staff tend to hover around too enthusiastically and this can be a little awkward.

food was delicious. the chef had done many little touches to the dishes - the sushi and sashimi were extremely fresh (a vibrant dark pink for the tuna, shimmery pink for the salmon, scallops were glossy and had a very slight bite) and the sushi were made from premium fish belly.

when we had finished i noticed the chef had dropped by to have a look at our plate, then whispered to the manager who came by and asked us to turn over the oyster shell i thought was a garnish.
there were two very plump looking uni (sea urchin) under the oyster. it was a very pleasant surprise and delicate touch from the chef.

the roasted duck was a textural experience, soft meat with the slightly salty crunch of the potato chip under it.
the soft shell crab was delicious and beautifully presented, very creamy yet crunchy wrapped in a rice roll.

by this point we were not only full, but extremely satisfied by the entire experience.the manager came by and suggested we try their desserts.
we thought of declining as we were full but she suggested a entree sized matcha ice cream to soothe our bellies.

it was not a bad idea at all.
a well portioned brick of matcha ice cream with wine soaked plum, strawberry slices and matcha sauce - very delicious!

if you had to choose only a few i'd recommend the roasted duck, assorted sushi and sashimi and the soft shell crab roll as they are really good.

overall it was a great experience, matched with great food, wonderful staff and a wonderfully skilled chef with attention-to-detail and professionalism.

a definite recommend to bring friends and family for any occasion.

the restaurant is located in south melbourne, most of customers seem to be old friends to this.serviceis fantastic.

sushi is quite fresh. but other la carte is not as fantastic as the price. have to say it is a little bit pricy. but quite authentic.

the food tastes so freaking amazing~!!!😍💕
the sea snails are cooked in a way that is similar to the french escargot. the sashimi is really fresh. their age sake creme brûlée is to die for~!!! theservicestaff are really friendly. will recommend to sit on the bench to watch the sushi chef prepares sushi and sashimi.

went with a group of 15 which must have overwhelmed the staff, since theservicewas abysmal. at no point did the waiters take charge of distributing menus or taking orders in an organised way. some people were eating while others were still siting for a menu, and others did not eat at all- a total stuff up.

komeyui is one of my all time favourite japanese restaurants in melbourne!

i’ve honestly tried a lot of items on their menu and they have always been really amazing and super fresh.

some of my faves would be their:
wagyu tataki (love the thin crispy potato that you wrap each piece of meat in, their soy sauce coated egg yolk is such a great dipping ‘sauce’ too).

make your own ‘don’ a.k.a rice bowl with your choice of sashimi - as a treat i’d go with their chutoro, uni and salmon.

theservicehas always been good as well. it is on the pricier side, but you are paying for their high quality ingredients. definitely worth a try!

a seamless birthday lunch celebration. we recently had a lunch party at komeyui to celebrate my mother in law’s 80th birthday. we booked for 34 people and had the whole restaurant to ourselves. the space has an elegant feel throughout. theservicewas friendly, accommodating and unobtrusive. we noticed the restaurant staff at work but we could hardly hear them. they seemed to go about their tasks in discreet silence.

we had an ‘omakase’ menu of 8 different dishes negotiated in advance with the restaurant manager mr. koji furukawa. the food was very fine, faultlessly executed and presented, with exquisite attention to detail, in the japanese manner. we felt we could have been in a fine restaurant in kyoto or tokyo. the classic dishes are all true to type: with something extra. the tastes are fresh and clean; the tempura batter seems to have been somehow fried without any oil as if by magic. grilled eel served with a dab of mascarpone is a kind of ‘a marriage made in heaven’ dish. the mascarpone cheese tasted, in its new context, a little like parmagiano reggiano parmesan cheese: it acted as what the japanese called ‘umami’, enhancing the eel while effacing itself.

a few of the guests were unfamiliar with japanese food. they approached some of the dishes tentatively: they had never had raw kingfish carpaccio so they tried a slice, found it interesting and went to have more. those who are familiar with japanese food were impressed with the freshness of the ingredients and the quality of the cooking. we especially enjoyed the kingfish carpaccio: the slices were very fresh and the accompanying ‘sauce’ which included sesame oil and minced red onions (though neither of the sesame or the onions was so strong as to dominate) transformed the fish – an interesting alternative from having sashimi with wasabi and soy sauce. another ‘surprise’ was the steamed custard ‘chawanmushi’: some people thought it was a sweet custard like a crème caramel and were pleasantly surprised when they discovered it was a savoury dish. it was such a very flavoursome custard dish: silky in texture, did not taste of eggs, but had a rich taste of good quality stock. this dish is not uncommon in japanese restaurants: many are of indifferent quality but the komeyui version is a stand-out, not to be missed dish.

we now look forward to future occasions to dine at komeyui again – we hope sooner rather than later. it is on the top of our list of places to hold a celebratory party.

had dinner here at komeyui. theserviceand food here are amazing. we sat at the counter watching the chef make the dishes very professionally. wagyu beef tataki and unagi was amazing! the soft shell crab was the best i've ever had. sake platter was also very nice. the waitresses were very friendly. would definitely come here again!

update (02.2022)

ordered:
jan chef's tasting menu 'natsu' ($220 per person)
🦪 baked oyster with ruffled wagyu
🥚 egg tofu with shrimp, mullet roe
🥩 tataki with smoked tuna
🐟 sashimi
🍵 surinagshi with asparagus, dried scallop
🦐 cocoon (with prawn instead), une veloute sauce
🥩 rice malt japanese premium wagyu with mustard foam
🐟 nigiri
🍮 mizu shingen-mochi as raindrop cake, soybean and mascarpone
☕ tea or coffee

review:
second time back, five months later but felt like the previous july/aug dinner was better.
this menu felt like it tended to lean towards more harsher flavours with really savoury strong baked oyster, bland light tofu, strange pistachio rolled smoked tuna which was not amazing.

however, there were some great dishes. the sashimi featured a partially flambéed salmon that has the light subtle flavour, but also featured that iconic warm grilled taste.
my second favourite was the rice malt japanese premium wagyu. i love mustard sauce with my beef in general because it adds a kick while adding in a nice undercurrent of flavour. the wagyu was soft, and the amount was perfect so i wasn't overwhelmed by the savouriness of the dishes.

mizu shingen mochi was less mochi, and more so a raindrop cake. it was delicious, and had a lovely brown sugar milk tea flavour. essentially bubble tea, in solid form!

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komeyui is one of the luxury experiences that i allow myself once every couple of months. absolutely amazing experience!

ordered:
july/aug signature dinner, a ten-course tasting menu featuring seasonal local produce and traditional japanese techniques ($220 per person)

🥧 kingfish tart
🥬 scampi with steamed turnip
🥩 cured kangaroo tartare
🐟 premium sashimi of the day
🥚 sweet potato mochi
🥣 niku-jaga gnocchi
🥩 john dee 9+ wagyu with onion tomburi sauce & vegetable puree
🥃 custard apple shooter with yukari pearls
🍣 chef's premium selection nigiri
🥧 yuzu pudding with genmai-cha icecream and your choice of tea/coffee

review:
let's talk about my top 2 dishes!
🥧 the first would be the yuzu pudding with genmai-cha icecream. genmaicha is a brown rice green team - translating to really light, airy earthy flavours. combined with the familiar citrus tang of the yuzu, this was a balanced and clean dessert to finish off the tasting course.
🥩 the second dish i enjoyed was the cured kangaroo tartare. i've never had kangaroo meat before, so was pleasantly surprised at how delicious it was. comparing it to steak tartare, kangaroo was more flavoursome and tender. chopped up into smaller pieces, you don't really get that gamey flavour so i really enjoyed this new experience!

the dish that threw me off the most was the scampi with steamed turnip. although there was incredible skill in balancing a fragile dashi-broth lid on top, i really hated the blandness of the steamed turnip wrapped in scampi. there was no real flavour, so the texture of the steamed turnip threw me back to cramped chinese restaurants and loud noises.

in terms of atmosphere and service, i was very impressed. gorgeous interior, neutral colour palette with black accents - it was a visually appealing place that really makes you feel calm. friendlyservicewhere they talked about the additional ingredients in the dish - i really enjoyed the 2 hours allocated to us at komeyui.

had very high expectation for komeyui, its in my top wishlist. honestly the taste of all the dishes were all good, but nothing is out of the ordinary or unexpected. lobster in eggyolk and the foie gras dessert probably the ones that is interesting.serviceis okay. the thing that bothers me most is the timing on how they serve the dishes, at the beginning they serve all 3 dishes together on the table. and then take 15 for next, and the nigiri omakase, it took so long to serve between each that i got so sleepy waiting for all. i think theyre busy making the delivery order. the truffle doesnt have that strong smell as well. the rice is really good tho, they really deliver their rice

we happened to go on mother's day so they were full and quite busy, which may be partly why theservicefelt a little rushed (hence 4 rather than 5 stars) and less attentive than would be expected for a place like this. however! the moment i had the ootoro brushed with white truffle oil, i was sold. and i don't even like truffle! it's the first time i've ever thought that truffle actually enhances the flavour of something rather than overpowering it. would come back just for this one sushi type.

in comparison to other high end sushi omakases that i have attended, the rice at komeyui was a little sweeter and the sushi pairings were less traditional (which isn't a bad thing necessarily) so there were some interesting new flavours to experience. the standard dessert that comes with the omakase though, was really not my thing. so we ordered a second dessert, okinawan sata andagi, which was amazing. freshly fried crunchy dough balls with a delicious black sugar (kokuto) syrup.

what an excellent dining experience!! my partner and i had the omakase and it was absolutely amazing! everything from the appetiser to the dessert was delicious. all their seafood were obviously fresh (their maguro dishes and uni were just out of this world) and the wagyu was to die for.servicewas also impeccable, the chef and servers were very friendly and great to chat with or ask for information. the menu changes every two months so we’re definitely coming back here soon!

had a lovely dinner at this new venue located at south melbourne! loving the new location as it is more spacious and has lovely ambience. absolutely love the soft shell crab, definitely the best i've ever had! super crunchy and flavourful.

they've also changed the menu. everything was so fresh andservicewas really good too! however, personally think that the black cod still can't beat nobu's.

ordered:
- sushi & nigiri
- soft shell crab roll (highly recommend)
- black cod "saikyo-yaki"
- chawan mushi with foie gras

we decided to re-visit komeyui on the weekend and the food was still as good as the first time.

we ordered quite a few dishes, as the dishes are quite small in size.
- eel hitsumabushu: this will always be one of my favourite dishes here. i’m a huge fan of the unagi which is so fatty, sweet and tender. the best part is when you pour the tea in, which creates a really flavourful congee-like dish.
- nori crunch: you can’t go wrong with this! crispy light nori with fresh tuna and roe. absolutely delicious every every time!
- wagyu tataki w egg yolk: another one of my favourites. the wagyu is incredibly tender and soft, and the crispy fried onion is so addictive.
- black cod saikyo yaki: this dish reminded me of nobu’s signature black cod. it’s very similar in terms of flavour and texture. the fish flakes apart easily.
- wagyu mabushi meshi (special): absolutely loved this dish! the wagyu was very high quality and melted in your mouth. the flavours worked so well together, and i loved that it comes with hot broth as well. delicious!
- blue swimmer crab zosui: a must order here. this dish is so hearty and warming, and perfect for winter. it’s basically a thick, flavourful congee with crab. love the runny egg yolk that adds more richness. only problem is the serving is tiny (i think one person could eat the whole thing and still not be full).
- tempura: the tempura was perfectly cooked, with very light and crispy batter. i loved the prawn and the pumpkin the most!
- gyoza: probably the most underwhelming dish. the gyoza was decent but nothing special.
- agedashi tofu: one of the best agedashi tofus i’ve had! it’s served in a piping hot stone bowl, and the thick broth is poured straight on top of the tofu at the table. it’s a really unique take on the classic dish and i loved the sizzling of the tofu. delicious!

i would highly recommend visiting komeyui if you want to try high quality, authentic japanese food.serviceis exceptional and the staff are incredibly friendly and polite.

love this place, their food has consistency of quality that i can feel that they put much effort and delicacy to it. whenever i visit here, i always seat at the bar because of the korean chef we prefer. the chef greets with smile, communicates only when needed and provides yum meal. feels treated well for the price.serviceis not as too prefessional/perfect as the food but still very good. it’s been a while to visit this place but would love to visit again if the chef is still there and fits my schedule.

easy to miss, you’ve probably passed it a few times on the way to the beach. but inside lies a warm japanese ambience with minimal seating, a sushi counter and sweet japanese waitresses in traditional kimono and shoes. komeyui offers an omakase and alacarte menu. i chose the ala carte. we ordered the beef tataki, oysters, chu toro sashimi, kingfish, miso cod, ox tongue and creme brûlée. great beef tataki, tender and tasty. oysters were fresh. the chu toro was absolutely delicious. so fatty and melted in your mouth instantly. the king fish had a herb i could not adjust to but with a quick flick of the red spice, the sauce and fish was delicious. miso cod was perfectly cooked and presented a smoky taste. the ox tongue had great texture, not chewy at all. the deconstructed creme brûlée was interesting with all the key notes of a standard creme brûlée and a burnt toffee taste with a hint of fruit we couldn’t quite pinpoint. overall an amazing dinner with top notchserviceyou’d expect from japanese dining.