IKKAI - Melbourne CBD

Located in a hidden alley. We came here for Wagyu sukiyaki and it was amazing! The quality of wagyu was really good and we really enjoyed it. The chazuke was yums, and we also enjoyed the karaage

Worst Japanese I have ever had. Anywhere in the world. The salmon was 6 slices of thin shavings. You could read a newspaper through them.

Online menu was easy to navigate, service was attentive. Cozy environment, perfect for a cold winter night. Great value for the sukiyaki sets, ordered the $128 set which included premium quality wagyu, veggies, tofu and udon. Unagi chazuke is also highly recommended, love their broth which is made from lupica peach tea, extremely flavourful. Remember to get their half price SAPPORO beer deal if you are ordering sukiyaki or chazuke! Would definitely come back for more food!

-1* Melbourne weather x hot Wagyu Sukiyaki in Rainbow alley. @ikkai.au served you A5 Wagyu and would melt in your mouth. Great atmosphere felt like in Japan

booking in advance (would be great option)

It is a fantastic restaurant, it is a little bit difficult to find which is in a small corner, but the decorations of the restaurant is so cute, I always like Japanese food and I have tried lots of Japanese restaurants, this one could be in my top 3

One of the best meals I’ve had in Melbourne and one of the cheaper meals too! The wagyu rice is full of flavour but the additional of the oolong tea takes it to a completely different level! Same goes for the unagi rice, a delicious combination!

Was very looking forward to it because of the 4.8 star rating. However, we were very disappointed with the food quality, portion size, price and dining experience.

We ordered the A5 Wagyu sukiyaki hotpot ($138 supposedly discounted from $188) with another chicken dish. We originally ordered a few other salmon dishes as well, but they said there's no salmon, and it was only 6: 30pm.

Firstly, the A5 Wagyu hotpot was not for 2 people, you get some mushrooms and vegie and a kid size portion of Udon. But most importantly, at $138 dollars, you get 3 pieces of thin "A5" sliced beef each, it's not the thick one, the paper thin slices one. The beef was not over the top, very standard Wagyu to be honest. Definitely should not be priced at $138. And yes definitely did not get full from that.

Moreover about the food quality, the hotpot was quite sweet and salty. And the Udon and other food somehow disintegrate rather easily, I was genuinely surprised by how fragile the Udon, tofu were as they really made me practice my chopstick work. Hahah

The table was small with a hotpot placed in the middle of the table. And most importantly, how they store the tissue and cutlery is of a concern in this day and age. They are placed in a container, with the tissue missed in with the cutlery. So if you want to get some tissue, you have your hand contacting other cutlery and tissue, and potentially contaminating other tissue and cutlery. Just a health concern I thought I should point out.

But overall, it's really down to portion size and price point. For 138 dollars, you get THREE slices of beef each for 2 people? !? !? Might be me being cheap but never have a tasted such average beef at this price point. The hotpot really tasted like a standard 70 dollar set you can get at any other jbbq or kbbq hotpot place. Nothing special, nothing fancy. Unfortunately we definitely will not be returning.

However, we do have to say the staff were nice and they help you cook and set things up. They do give you clear instructions in a very friendly manner.:) So I hope the owner can reconsider their price point.

︎︎︎ Sukiyaki
Watching the M9, M10-12 & A5 wagyu going up and down, in the pot and then in my mouth~wah so satisfying on a cold night in Melb! The $128 set came with a solid amount of veggies & tofu etc as well, perfect for two people
︎︎︎ Curry chicken katsu don
Chicken katsu was so crunchy on the outside and tender on the inside, quite a generous serving too! Also came with an ossen egg and a small side of seaweed salad! The whole package really xD yummmm
︎︎︎ Grilled salmon chazuke
Ooo the oolong tea was really fragrant, very refreshing!
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Overall we enjoyed everything we had and there are more to go back to! Either grab a donburi for lunch or catch up for dinner over wagyu

We checked out Ikkai recently for dinner and we had one of their sukiyaki set as well as a mixed don and some other sides.

We ordered:
• M9 & M10-12 & A5 Wagyu Tasting Sukiyaki for 2
• Mixed Don with half grilled and half fresh salmon sashimi
• Tofu Karaage
• EBI Fry
• Kabocha Korokke
• Fresh Salmon salad

Sukiyaki is definitely perfect for the cold winter weather here at the moment. It was fun to have the food cooked in front of us and I found the sukiyaki set good value in terms of quality and portion. I had the Grilled Salmon chazuke at Ikkai previously and I think I'd order that again next time over the mixed don Tofu was soft and delicious and I'd order that one again too!

Ikkai is located in a little alley behind Bourke Street and it's quite cute and cosy in there! Great for catch up with friends, for dates or quick solo lunches.

Ikkai is a little hidden gem just off Bourke St, serving hearty sukiyaki. Their A5 wagyu set is currently on special from $180 to $135 and is such a steal! The meat and all of the veggies were great quality, and the soy sauce broth is rich in flavour.

The sides were also perfect! I got the edamame, tako karaage, and my favourite of the sides - fried crab claw!

A perfect spot for this cold winter!

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We had a lovely dining experience here! A true hidden gem in Melbourne with a fantastic menu range of traditional Japanese dishes and ones with a modern twist!

We ordered the Japanese A5 Wagyu Sukiyaki set which comes with mixed vegetables, konjac noodle knots, tofu and udon. The sukiyaki broth has the perfect sweet soy flavour which seasons the meat perfectly as it cooks

We also ordered the M10 - M12 Wagyu Don and the Teriyaki Eel Chazuke infused with Lucipia Momo Oolong as takeaway - both were packaged very well and tasted so good!

Overall, we really enjoyed our meal here, the service was also lovely and attentive! We’ll definitely be back?

Winter is officially here! Sukiyaki is the perfect meal when the weather is freezing! We enjoyed a seriously amazing wagyu beef (was so tender) sukiyaki at Ikkai along with a few of their side dishes like fried oysters, salmon sashimi, fried lotus root chips and fried octopus Couldn’t fault anything. Give it a go next time you are in the CBD ️

Thank you Ikkai for the feed

#collab #brandedcontent #invite

Lovely place tucked away in the streets of Melbourne! The sukiyaki WAGYU Japanese style hot pot so good! Must get their tea based rice bowls!

It’s a great restaurant, the food is Delicious, specially the beef. They have great customer service. Is the best Japanese restaurant I ever had, I would like to have a menu in IKKAi again with my friend.

Staff was lovely, food was amazing. We loved how tucked in it was despite being in the middle of Melbourne CBD. Can't wait to go back!