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Kenzan

Kenzan Article Lead - narrow
Kenzan Article Lead - narrowSupplied

Good Food hat15/20

Japanese$$$

Generations have enjoyed Kenzan, and, after more than 30 years, the so-called empress of Melbourne's Japanese restaurants maintains her reign. With a modernised look and expanded menu (reworked in 2011), Kenzan's tranquil dark-wood and lacquer finishes reflect the elegant finesse of its food. The menu still features favourites like tempura, tatsuta-age (fried, marinated chicken) and sukiyaki in refined fashion. And you'll always find more unusual fare on the daily specials, such as grilled, salted kingfish cheek (the simple cooking highlighting the particular tenderness and rich taste of this cut), or an exquisite spicy tuna and scallop salad. Eel is at its oily best in an entree of grilled eel and cucumber in sweet vinegar or the more familiar main dish with sweet soy sauce on rice. And Kenzan's always-popular sushi bar proves its mettle, with dedicated sushi chefs crafting exemplary sushi using high-quality seafood that's delicately arranged and subtly garnished.

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