Kuma Japanese Restaurant

Tony Huynh Xe

5 months ago

Went in for lunch with some friends, had no expectations as the restaurant seemed a bit quiet. The food and drinks blew us away… the fish was fresh, everything else was flavourful. Flavour bomb all round! Drinks… as good as the food! Not just for looks! Highly recommend Kuma for Japanese food with friends or a group! More food the better!

Edbert Lim

3 months ago

Overall: I personally feel that the restaurant should have rung their bookings up when their air conditioning is broken down and let their guest make the choice of going to the venue or not. Well having guest fan themselves was not a great sight where are we in a third world country where the restaurant can’t afford a pedestal fan to keep their guest cool while waiting for their food. I feel that the management had put their worries too much about the aesthetic of the place instead of their guest. I am sorry as health professional is having a higher chance of having a guest or worker pass out from the heat better? Ambience: Yesterday’s ambiance was on the real low as whatever the kitchen was making it smoked the whole restaurant I was more surprised that the smoke detector not going off… It does not help the restaurant much with their ac down and having the lights along with candle lights on each table generating an insane amount of heat. The food: I would say that the shellfish platter didn’t fair too well either. As the soft shell crab and lobster was not as fresh as I would like it to be unfortunately. Service: Granted it is the public holiday. Servers did very well in trying to keep up with their guest hydrated with the heat. Our server was very kind and good to us checking in on us and comforting us by letting us know the food is on the way which was great.

Jasmine Nguyen

2 weeks ago

ORDERED: 🍣  Volcano Roll: Prawn, salmon & avocado with torched XO-mayo ($26.00) 🍣  Dragon Roll: Lobster salad, unagi, prawn, avocado, tobiko & spicy mayo ($28.00) 🥟  Soft Shell Crab Bao Bun - 3pcs: Steamed bao buns with house slaw, spicy mayo & homemade pickles, with soft shell crab ($18.00) 🫘  Edamame: Steamed whole soybean, seasoned with salt ($7.00) 🍮  Sake Brulée: Sake flavoured egg custard, with caramelised sugar served with a sweet bread stick ($14.00) Spent $59.50pp on food. REVIEW: The top tier selections were the volcano roll and the dragon lobster roll. I typically don't like sushi rolls, but these really changed my mind. Full of impactful flavour, fresh ingredients, delicious bites... I loved everything about it. 🤩 Especially the surprising salmon roe on the volcano roll, which added texture and bursts of salt in your mouth. Would've liked it if they used more fresh wasabi. It felt thick and more like horseradish, being really impactful up your nose but didn't have the sweetness or the deathly linger I typically like in freshly grinded wasabi. 🥲 Then, the food quality nose dived off the cliff. Primarily due to personal preference like the bao bun fluff sticking to the roof my mouth like a moth to a light (I haven't found a bun that doesn't stick to my mouth) or the sake brulee being too watery for my consumption. This suggests it might have been a bit undercooked, although there were some parts that were firmer. The 'sweet bread stick' they mention is also pocky... which was a fun surprise. Service definitely stood out. Half my table of 4 were vegetarians, so we were essentially 2 tables of two, sitting next to one another. The waitress thoughtfully separated our orders into courses so we could eat our dishes at a mindful pace. Big appreciation to her and the chefs for making it happen. Although we started at a similar pace as our vegetarian counterparts (who absolutely loved their experience), we ended up separating due to the number of dishes we ordered. This was fine. Also appreciated that they didn't charge me a card surcharge!!😍

Ed Li

a week ago

We visited here last week, and the service was excellent, but the food was average. We ordered the chef's special sashimi. It was okay; nothing to rave about. The shellfish platter was decently priced, but there was quite bland. The crab was not seasoned, and the Lobster - the seasoning on the lobster was weird, but it was fresh, at least Tempura prawns were hot but lacked flavour The miso soup was bland as well, and it tasted like salty water.

Faa Papon

2 weeks ago

🥢 elevated japanese dining 🏠: @kumajapanesemelb 📍: Elizabeth St, CBD 📝: Kuma Japanese is an initiative of the Doxa Community Club, a charitable organization that donates all profits to help children and young people build brighter futures. By dining at Kuma, you are not only treating yourself to a fantastic meal but also making a positive impact on the community. All profits from Doxa venues, including Kuma, go directly to the Doxa Youth Foundation, which extends opportunities for underprivileged children and young people to create special memories and access the support they need to succeed. ❤️: Indulging in the best of Japanese cuisine at Kuma restaurant in Melbourne 🍣🍱 From juicy steak to lobster salad sushi tacos and an impressive sashimi platter, the flavors were out of this world! 🤤 And let's not forget about the crispy pork katsu and delightful matcha tiramisu to round off the meal 🍴🍵 Also, enjoy ✨ FREE ✨ cocktail per person upon arrival every Friday 🤩