It’s music to my ears given how much I enjoy Japanese dining, but there is a new-ish kid on the block offering an elevated Japanese dining experience. Meet Kuma Japanese Restaurant, located at Central Point in the CBD (corner Elizabeth St/Little Lonsdale) in some freshly renovated digs channeling 1930s Shanghai. Their menu covers a lot of ground when it comes to the must-orders/Japanese classics, which meant we stared at the menu for quite a while before we were able to decide on what to order. Granted there were some dishes we had to bypass, but that just means a return visit is in order. Some of our favourites included the silkiest fresh sashimi and gently torched, melt-in-mouth scallop nigiri, a flavour laden volcano roll (you could say it was explosive, hah!) and one very generously sized shellfish platter (ex-SHELL-ent!). On the note of generous, profits from Kuma Japanese Restaurant go towards the Doxa Youth Foundation with a focus on supporting and providing opportunities for children from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Chef’s selection sashimi platter - salmon, tuna, kingfish, scallops, squid, octopus

Scallop aburi nigiri - with teri-mayo sauce

Volcano roll - prawn, salmon, avocado with torched XO-mayo

Nasu dengaku - fried eggplant topped with sweet miso sauce

Shellfish platter - combination of lobster, soft shell crab and prawn, with ponzu and spicy mayo and served with two side dishes (sauteed vegetables and fried rice)

Matcha tiramisu

Kuma Japanese Restaurant

315 Elizabeth St (Level 1)

Melbourne, Victoria, 3000.

+61 3 9046 8290

https://centralpointmelb.com.au/dining/

Disclosure: I dined as a guest of Kuma Japanese Restaurant. All opinions expressed in this post are based entirely on my experience and observations made during the time of my visit.