Tokonoma

This is undoubtedly my favourite Japanese restaurant. As soon as I walk through the blink-and-you-miss-it wooden door with a massive, red circular window insert I can feel my body relax, it is such a beautiful space. While it is famous for its extensive range of sochu, Tokonoma also has a list of cocktails, spirits, wine and bubbles that will keep you happy. The service is top notch, each and every time I've been there. New dishes would appear on cue as soon as the empty dishes are cleared away from the table. The hotate no jalapeno amazu zoe (grilled scallops topped with sweet pickled apple and jalapeno garlic) and ami yaki ro-su to wafu sauce (scotch fillet steak served with wafu sauce & garlic crisps) are the must have dishes. Whether it's for a romantic date or a group outing, Tokonoma will not disappoint.

Great food and atmosphere in a classy venue. It's quite pricey though but sometimes they advertise on deal sites which makes it great value!

Save your pennies and come here for the tasting menu. You'll be ploughed, in the most lovely way possible, with delicately presented and beautifully flavoured Japanese cuisine with exceptional wine and, if you're up for it, some very tasty sake. Better yet, keep an eye out on the daily deal websites and get 50% or so off as Tokonoma often makes an appearance. It's also nice for a quiet Japanese dry lager at the bar before or after dinner at a nearby restaurant. A bit pricey but a great atmosphere and you see what you're paying for.

We got the Sora tasting menu. All the dishes were beautifully presented and tasted great. Service was very attentive but a couple of our courses were a bit delayed. Atmosphere was very funky modern. Great place to share a special occasion with your significant other or if you've got a really hot date! Giving 4 starts because while everything was great it didn't completely blow me away.

We arrived with a bottle of sparkling wine - after all, they are fully licensed - but they refused to let us drink our own wine. We could only buy theirs, which I found rather annoying. Strike one. There were lots of empty table, but they told us the tables were all booked, so we were given a seat at a table in the waiting area. Strike two. Nevertheless, we decided to stay and had their 8 course degustation menu at $75 per head. Everything was top quality and promptly served by a coterie of wait staff. As the restaurant began filling up, it became extremely noisy, and I find poor acoustics in a restaurant to be very irksome. For better value with the same quality go down the street to Ichibang - and can bring your own wine, get a decent table, and decent acoustics.