Kirishima Is a 23-Course Journey Through Sushi, Sake, and Japanese Craftsmanship
The best restaurants don’t reveal themselves all at once, and Kirishima understands that from the moment you arrive. Tucked behind what appears to be an almost abandoned shopfront on Camberwell Road, the only sign you’ve found the right place is a softly glowing lantern suspended behind the glass. It’s a quiet invitation into one of Melbourne’s most thoughtful dining experiences.
Inside, just 12 seats wrap around chef Junha Park and his team as they guide guests through a 23-course omakase that feels less like a performance and more like a conversation. Every slice, every brush of soy and every pour of sake happens within arm’s reach, inviting you into the process rather than simply presenting the finished product. The pace is unhurried, the room almost meditative, yet there isn’t a moment when the energy drops. Instead, the anticipation quietly builds with every course.
The menu is anchored by exceptional produce, but never feels like it’s hiding behind luxury ingredients. A silky truffle chawanmushi opens the evening before grilled hotate layered with spanner crab, tosazu jelly and ikura. The nigiri sequence is a lesson in restraint, allowing beautifully sourced seafood to speak for itself, from kingfish and King George whiting to buttery otoro topped with caviar and sweet ama ebi paired with uni.
Richer dishes punctuate the meal at exactly the right moments: meltingly tender braised ox tongue with red miso espuma, the signature A5 wagyu layered over sushi rice with a miso-marinated quail egg yolk and shaved truffle, before miso-marinated black cod folded through donabe rice delivers one final reminder that simplicity and precision often make the strongest pairing.
As impressive as the food is, it wasn’t what I found myself thinking about on the drive home.
It was the way the evening flowed effortlessly from one course to the next. The warmth of a team that seemed genuinely invested in every guest enjoying themselves. The reactions of strangers seated shoulder to shoulder, exchanging smiles as another plate landed across the counter. Even the sake pairing felt less like an optional extra and more like another chapter in the story.
In an era where so many restaurants chase spectacle, Kirishima does the opposite. It puts its faith in remarkable produce, intuitive hospitality and a team confident enough to let both speak for themselves. The food is exceptional, but it’s the feeling of being so completely looked after that lingers long after the final course.
Melbourne Insider Rating: 4.5/5
