Lousy Food Banished

Yakisan sits quietly above O’Connell Street, but the moment you step onto Level 2, it becomes anything but quiet. The space is breathtaking — warm light, sculptural seating, and that stunning deep-green marble kitchen island acting as the heartbeat of the entire restaurant. Smoked fish hang above the coals, fresh fish rest in the centre, and you’re surrounded by the energy of an open kitchen without any of the chaos. It’s refined, modern, and effortlessly attentive to detail.

The venue offers a mix of dining styles: traditional restaurant tables, bar seating wrapped around the kitchen (arguably the best seats in the house), and outdoor dining overlooking the manicured gardens between O’Connell and Tynte Street. It’s the kind of space you walk into and instantly feel like you’re in good hands.

I arrived on time and my friends were running late, but the staff were exceptional from the moment I sat down. No rush, no awkward hovering — just genuine warmth and a sense that they actually enjoyed having you there. A rarity.

Yakisan offers two set menus, but we chose to order à la carte, which turned out to be the perfect way to explore the menu.

What We Ordered

Yellowfin Tuna

Delicate, fresh, and balanced — the ideal opener. It set the tone beautifully without trying too hard.

Kampot Pepper Wagyu Tataki

The standout dish of the entire lunch. Once mixed with the egg, gribiche pickles, and potato, every bite was rich, silky, and perfectly balanced. The wagyu was melt-in-your-mouth tender — easily the dish I could have eaten all day.

100-Layer Potato Cake

A showstopper. Crunchy edges, soft layers, rich flavour, topped with tartare and nori for extra depth. One of the most memorable potato dishes I’ve ever had — and I love potatoes.

Hokkaido “Zinger”

A playful dish with good texture and flavour. Not a favourite compared to the others, but still enjoyable and worth trying as part of a shared spread.

Sir Harry Wagyu Picanha (Rump Cap)

Cooked beautifully over the grill — tender, smoky, rich. The sauce on the plate paired perfectly with the wagyu. Served alongside their combination rice, which was comforting, savoury, and full of texture with fried shallots on top.

What We Drank

We enjoyed a couple of cocktails to go with the food.

My friend had a classic whiskey highball, but the highlight was the Admiral Yamamoto— rum, fino sherry, grapefruit, barley, and egg white. It tasted like drinking a dessert, rich and velvety without being overly sweet. Perfectly balanced.

The Service:

Faultless.

The team were attentive without hovering, explained every dish with confidence, and made the whole experience feel elevated without being pretentious. It’s rare to see a restaurant where the service matches the level of the food — Yakisan nails it.

The Price:

For everything we ordered — plus cocktails — it worked out to $98 each.

For a long lunch with that level of quality, technique, and atmosphere, it’s genuinely impressive value.

Final Verdict:

Yakisan is the kind of restaurant you walk out of already planning when to return. Beautiful space, incredible fire-driven cooking, warm and professional service, and standout dishes that stay with you hours later.

Highly recommend, and absolutely returning.