Kaneda Japanese Restaurant

KANEDA JAPANESE RESTAURANT - 200 Bourke Street, Melbourne, 3000

Personally I would have to say that of all the Japanese restaurants I have been to in the CBD, Kaneda has rarely disappointed me. My friend took me to this restaurant two years ago and the second I walked into the restaurant I already fell in love with the setting, the decorations and the atmosphere of the restaurant. The door is a sliding door (very Japanese-like) with a red curtain hanging from the door frame and the interior consists of a whole bunch of decorations and a different number of menu items neatly distributed on the walls. The way that they have designed this restaurant does give it a strong Japanese vibe which really caught my interest.

The restaurant size is relatively small so don't rock up to the restaurant asking for like a table of 10 or something. Seating is quite limited so it's probable that you won't even have enough for just you and another friend or two. I consider this place more of a place to catch up with a small group of friends or catching up with someone I haven't seen in a while. The atmosphere is very relaxing so you don't have to yell at the top of your voice to converse to someone sitting opposite you. The service is relatively good, which is to be expected since there is a limited seating area so you'll almost always catch their attention.

Now for the main attraction: The FOOD! The food quality here is good and the portion sizes are good value for money. The price of the food ranges from $5-10 for the entrees, $8.50-13 for the main dishes and the set meals such as the bentos and the hotplate sets come to $12-18. My favourite item on the menu would have to be their bento boxes because there is a large variety that you can choose ranging from chicken teriyaki to shellfish and unagi (eel). Like every japanese restaurant they have a sushi menu including deluxe sushi and sashimi combos to share, especially if you're not feeling hungry or just craving good sushi. The soup dishes here also have a good balance of flavour and unlike some other restaurants where they OD on the flavourings making it extremely salty. I love their miso soup. Always a good start before a main meal.

Overall I would have to say that I am very satisfied with this restaurant. The chill atmosphere where you can take someone for a nice relaxing meal, the quantity for the quality of food and the price makes it affordable even for the cheapos and the large variety of food making this place worth more than just one visit.

ITADAKIMASU! =P~

Restaurant setting and atmosphere: 5/5
Quality of food: 4/5
Service: 4/5
Value for money: 5/5

Overall: 4.5/5