Ichi Ni Izakaya

I was lucky enough to have visited Ichi Ni on a warm summer night and the open design of the restaurant was a perfect compliment.
We had a booth table where we could see the kitchen and the rest of the diners which was nice but was a little short on space. We had booked for 7 people, and had 4 squished in on one side and 3 on the other.
The food was great. We had both the tuna and beef tataki, the prawns in mayo, chicken yakitori, vegetable tempura and a selection of sushi and sashimi. The tempura itself was tasty but it came accompanied with a mayonnaise-​type sauce which I don’t think worked as well as the traditional and the taste of one of the hand rolls was lost in an overpowering hot sauce (can’t recall which one). Overall the food was very enjoyable.
The selection of sake was a nice surprise. Not having a lot of sake experience, the taste descriptions on the menu were a great help. We finished the meal with a bottle of the Tateyama Ginrei. Delicious!

I was really looking forward to trying Ichi Ni Izakaya on the recommendation of a number of friends. Anyone who has spent more than 5 minutes with me knows of my love for Japanese food, specifically izakaya fare, however I was quite disappointed with our experience.
On the up side, the restaurant is in a fantastic location in St Kilda that would make it a great choice during summer. Service is friendly and we did not have to wait too long for a table.
However, the food was expensive for the quality received. The sauce on the tuna tataki was REALLY salty and did not do much for it at all, the tempura did not have that light crispiness that authentic tempura has and instead was doughy and of all the yakitori dishes we ordered, only the pork belly stood out in a good way as the tori and tsukune were bland and the beef tasted like cheap chuck steak that had been cooked at left to sit at room temperature before being served. The grilled vegetables were nothing special and the tofu was also chewy.
It’s a shame, because I really wanted to like Ichi Ni, but honestly I don’t think we’ll be back.

As it’s not local to me, I’ve only been here twice. But loved it both times and wish it was closer to me.
When eating there we just selected a group of dishes from the Tapas, Yakitori and sushi sections of the menu and all shared the delicious food. It’s really good for taking people who haven’t eaten Japanese food as they can taste a lot of different dishes without breaking the bank.

This restaurant has a lot of great points!
Walk in the door through another door on to your right, (you can order take away on the first entry area)
Great view
Unique table setting indoor — sunken seats or the elevated «house», great for groups or intimate dinner and has a lovely oriental feel.
Bar seating — wrap around sashimi kitchen style, perfect for friendly catch up or lunch
Outdoor seating– of course, to soak up the sun and view
Reasonably priced, lovely staff, delicious Japanese food.

Unfortunately for me, this place has dropped its food standard since the last time I dined here.
The warmed edamame with rock salt and the melt-​in-​your-​mouth sashimi are still delicious, but the miso and honey pork belly was ghastly, not to mention the crispy chicken was very fatty and gristly, which was a true disappointment.
On the flip side, it does offer a really vibrant atmosphere amongst some fabulous décor.
It offers a modern take on Japanese-​style dishes that are mainly western influenced, which is probably why it is so popular amongst westerners!
It’s located on the Esplanade in the most sensational part of St Kilda, and if you happen to walk past it you’ll wonder why you’re not too soaking up the sunshine on the deck with a Japanese beer or cocktail.
Make the most of the alfresco dining during the summer months, particularly when the sun sets on the bay and the streets are buzzing with people.
Tip: If desserts are your thing, then you must order the chocolate spring rolls!

Located on the Esplanade in St Kilda, Ichi Ni has excellent views of St Kilda’s beach and additionally has a fantastic ambiance.
Staff are very attentive and the menu is comprehensive yet set out in a very easy to use way. We chose to dine on many dishes and shared our way through. My favorites were the Miso soup, Gyoza — pork dumplings, Ebi Mayo — Deep fried tiger prawns in Japanese mayonnaise, & the Chocolate Harumaki — Chocolate filled spring rolls with caramel coated vanilla ice cream topped with almond slithers. Our meals were served promptly, perhaps a little to prompt, my only fault.
The clientele ranged from families with young children, couples and groups. I will most certainly be back for more!

What an awesome location for some sashimi and beer by the bay, watching the sun go down.
Ichni Ni is perfect for whatever your occasion may be. There were families enjoying sashimi platters, footballers imbibing on beers, friends catching up and plenty of hot couples on dates.
There is plenty of open air seating with heating or if you prefer something a little more intimate the dark interior may be more your style.
We thoroughly enjoyed our sashimi platter, grilled salmon maki, miso soup and beef curry. The seafood yakitori was a tiny bit over cooked and the green tea tiramisu would have benefited from a little more Kahlua. The chocolate spring rolls were fun.
Service was attentive and the ambiance was very inviting.
We will be back.