Brisbane’s new hidden Japanese restaurant worth seeking out

From one of Australia’s top restaurateurs, this new Brisbane Japanese eatery serves up top-notch produce in a 5/5 setting.

‘Where is this place?” my friend asks, confused
and spinning in circles in the central courtyard of West End’s heaving
West Village precinct.

Camouflaged by a rainforest of greenery and up a rock-lined flight of stairs on the second floor of the food and lifestyle district is newish Japanese restaurant Ippin.

If they were relying on passers-by and foot traffic to fill the shrouded 140-seater, you could think they might be in trouble, but with a name like Kenny Lee at the helm, there are no such issues.

Inside Japanese restaurant Ippin, West End.

Lee, you see, is the restaurateur and owner of hugely popular Sydney Korean restaurants Allta and Funda, as well as the highly revered Kuon – a nine-seat Japanese omakase that’s almost as difficult to score entry to as a Taylor Swift concert and is known for having food critics in raptures.

Ippin is Lee’s first foray into the Brisbane market, working with owners Helen Lea and Jane Ma, and word of his pedigree seems to have spread with the venture bustling at lunchtime on a Sunday.

Inside Japanese restaurant Ippin, West End.

Diners line a tangerine banquette that stretches almost the length of the elongated room, looking into the buzzing open kitchen, while those opposite fill curved-back timber chairs with a view out across the village square below.

Perhaps in a nod to the Japanese whiskies that dominate Ippin’s varied drinks list are four large barrel-shaped booths at the rear of the sun-lit space, while private dining rooms slot in behind. It’s an absolutely stunning fit-out and a place the staff are clearly proud to work in, with service charming, knowledgeable and highly professional.

You’d do well to call on these experts to help navigate the broad menu, which expands even further at lunchtimes with the addition of bento boxes and specials such as rice and noodle bowls.

We stick to the main menu, which runs from easy starters such as edamame and agedashi tofu, to share plates including tempura and green tea soba salad to dishes cooked over charcoal or on the grill, perhaps duck breast or miso eggplant, and then into raw plates and sushi.

There’s premium wagyu and top quality seafood aplenty, such as in our snow crab croquettes ($15). Arriving piping hot, fresh out of the deep fryer, the trio of golden orbs relinquish their crisp panko crust to reveal a creamy centre packed with crustacean. Had they not been so scorching, all three would have been inhaled immediately.

Snow crab croquettes at Ippin, West End.

Top-notch ocean catches continue with scarlet curls of thick blue fin tuna bobbing in a fiery puddle of chilli-laced citrus juice in the restaurant’s signature ceviche, tiradito ($32), based on the popular Peruvian-Japanese dish; while vegetable tempura ($12) comes into play for a little crunch.

Blue fin tuna tiradito at Ippin, West End.

But the real star is the nigiri.

For us that’s uber fresh salmon belly and kingfish (both $12 for two pieces), cross-hatched and reclining over just-right sushi rice and lacquered with beautifully delicate, house-made soy sauce.

The only regret, not ordering more with other options, including Crystal Bay prawns, sea urchin, scampi, otoro and A5 Miyazaki wagyu.

We find consolation, however, in the miso-marinated Glacier 51 toothfish ($55) – its fatty skin sweet and sticky from the miso, while its buttery flesh flakes apart.

A variety of nigiri at Ippin, West End.

It all goes well with our yuzu whisky sour from the signature cocktail list, which proves a relatively affordable option at $22 compared to the international wine list where glasses range from $18-$36 for a standard 150ml pour.

Some extra detail on the wine list such as country of origin would also be welcome.

While Ippin may be a little obscured, that’s also part of its charm and ensures this is a place worth seeking out.

Ippin

South Pavilion, West Village, 2/97 Boundary St, West End

0432 111 287

ippin-wv.com.au

Open

Sun-Thu 11.30am-10pm, Fri-Sat 11.30am-11.30pm

Must-eat dish

Salmon belly nigiri

Verdict – Scores out of 5

Food 4

Service 4

Ambience 5

Value 4

Overall 4