Kisume

Kisume is three levels of Flinders Lane restaurant into which Mr Chin Chin, Chris Lucas, has distilled decades of experience into creating a bold vision of dining’s future.

Sushi is the star at Kisume.

175 Flinders Lane, Melbourne

[phone]

kisume.com.au

Kisume is three levels of Flinders Lane restaurant into which Mr Chin Chin, Chris Lucas, has distilled decades of experience into creating a bold vision of dining’s future.

Part chablis bar, sushi counter, basement restaurant, exclusive private dining and 12-seat Chef’s Table, Kisume is a modern Japanese restaurant that’s unmistakably Melbourne but with added New York sass.

On the entry level, a quietly industrious counter is the place for flappingly fresh sushi served as part of the multi-course omakase (chef’s selection) that’s less austere and more creative than strictly traditional versions offered elsewhere.

Slow-cooked and torched abalone might precede garfish with shisho and lime, and Ora King salmon with green apple puree. Blue fin tuna neck and Japanese torched otoro are worth the price of admission alone, while wagyu served under a cloche of smoke adds a camera-ready theatrical touch.

Otherwise, the deluxe sushi box from a roll call of local fish is an easy win, and the extensive menu ticks off dumplings and sashimi, elegant tempura from the fryer and wagyu from the grill, in a fashion at once familiar and unique.

With General Manager of wine, Philip Rich, guiding the beverage journey across the venue and an army of white-jacketed staff ready to ferry those plates, Kisume is Japanese, just not as we know it.

Must eat dish: Deluxe sushi box

Cuisine: Japanese

Chef: Yonge Kim

Price: $$

Bookings: Yes

BYO: No

Open: Lunch and dinner daily from 12pm