Kobe Jones - Melbourne

This is the Melbourne flagship for the Kobe Jones family of Japanese restaurants. Located at the same Siddely Road address at the Docklands’ WTC Wharf as its sibling Riverside Teppanyaki, Kobe Jones offers a somewhat less theatrical but equally awe-inspiring approach to fine Japanese dining. There’s something of a fusion ethos at work here, with Kobe Jones skilled in taking up the traditional simplicity and minimalistic, wabi sabi aesthetics of Japanese cuisine, and not a few traditional ingredients as well, but working in western culinary nuances and flavours to curate menus that suit the palates of connoisseurs and novices alike. Eminently shareable, Kobe Jones menus are designed to be pored over and chosen from socially – gather friends and family and book a table at one of Melbourne’s best Japanese restaurants.

This Melbourne Japanese restaurant is a principled place. Kobe Jones’ philosophy is based upon the sustainability and high-quality of its food. Relying heavily on fish and seafood, the kitchen at Kobe Jones’ Siddely Street restaurant uses almost exclusively sea-farmed or aquacultural supplies, sourcing wild catch only when the origin has been certified as sustainable. The chefs also do a lot of in-house production, especially when it comes to sauces and condiments, meaning what’s on offer is superlatively fresh as well as ethical. The result is a galaxy of Japanese cuisine that’s hard to beat elsewhere in Melbourne’s highly discerning foodie scene. When you dine at the Docklands’ outpost of Kobe Jones at WTC Wharf, the advice is to cherrypick a couple of dishes from each section of the (very comprehensive) menu and share.

Kobe Jones’ offering is hard to encapsulate. Needless to say, this Japanese restaurant at Melbourne’s Docklands represents the pinnacle of Far Eastern cuisine, with a judicious amount of fusion flair thrown in for good measure. All-day set menus include the vegetarian shojin, the Kobe 9 or 10, the kashi (which means riverside), and a menu ideal for just two. Yes, Kobe Jone’s WTC Wharf location down Siddely Street is a perfect spot for impressing a date. The most lavish of these set menus is the yuuga (meaning elegance), featuring signature dishes such as the Number One Special (crab salad with avocado, wrapped up in kingfish and baked with a secret sauce, Wagyu rolls skwered and basted with amiyaki sauce (head chef Alberto Borja’s personal favourite) and the spicy seafood salad. Note: Kobe Jones likes spice – keep your eyes peeled for the H5 rating – the Death Sauce does come with a public health warning!