Iori kicks off in Deakin

In very good news for south-side diners, Iori Japanese has opened in the Canberra Deakin Football Club.

Iori Plus is upstairs at the restaurant is upstairs at the club, in Grose St, Deakin, and offers the same menu as the city restaurant, but, director Mamoru Aizawa, pictured, says, with a “more sophisticated method to cook the meals”.

He says the concept is “spirit of samurai”, which, other than the tie in with the aikido demonstrations promised for opening night, leaves us flummoxed, but is beautifully in keeping with the oddball humour that characterises the city version of Iori, ticked into the bus interchange. The menu in town has dishes such as CSI (chef’s special invention), Three Li’l Piggy, and ATM (assorted tremendous meal). And instead of what another restaurant might call a chef’s table menu, it offers a “mystery meal”, at $60 or $100. Love the attitude, and love the food still more. Hopefully, the Deakin venture is just as good.

Open Monday to Saturday for dinner from 5.30pm, and Monday to Friday for lunch, 6282 3999. You need to join the club to eat here.

The last restaurant in this spot was the XY Dim Sim Dumpling House, which closed last year.