Sushi Masa

7.3 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  6      Service  6      Value  9     

Really good value for money. Service is by inexperienced waiters, but who cares when the value and taste is this good!

Jul 12, 2010 

7.8 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  8      Service  6      Value  9     

I really like this place. I've been to much better Japanses restaurants but this is a good solid reliable feed. Fresh and lovely food. Quiet. I have to admit the staff are far from experienced but maybe that is why they can give you great value food. We need more great and reasonably priced Japanese restaurants like this in Melbourne.

Sep 26, 2008 

9.3 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  9      Service  9      Value  10     

In response to people who have posted after me, I have edited this submission slightly to clarify a few things as I did not point them out clearly enough. Firstly, I've lived in Japan for a long time and I also speak Japanese. Look at my other reviews, I've been to almost all Japanese restaurants in Melbourne and some I haven't even rated. Please re-read below and it’s clarified more.

This Japanese restaurant is one of the very few that sells down to earth, traditional but done to perfection Japanese food in Melbourne. Compared to other places, a lot of them cooked by Chinese or Vietnamese chefs (hey I'm Chinese and I must admit I hate Chinese who cook Japanese food), this is slightly more classier food than the normal Izakaya and not as bustled, and sometimes has better fish compared to a lot of places serving the ubiquitous Salmon and Kingfish and Tuna. Sometimes they carry special fishes such as Sardines, Mackerels, Japanese octopus, Bonito, Gurnard, etc, they also have unagi too. The chef goes to the fish market to source the fish.

I also want to clarify that even though the name is called Sushi Masa, I think it’s a bit misleading. The sushi quality here is certainly good but not great, the rice is sometimes too soggy however. But the main attraction are its hot dishes, whether it be the Japanese's only special or normal menu dishes, which will make a Japanese feel nostalgically at home because the flavours are completely cooked right. One time I came back from Japan, I went straight to here and I could not taste any difference in its food preparation and the sauces. It’s not overly sweet or rich, one thing that Chinese Japanese chefs or English Japanese chefs can never get right, such as Wagamama or Chocolate Buddha. Compared to other cheap eats, this is simply purer but still nonetheless sophisticated in its own traditional way.

If anything, I recommend the hot dishes rather than the sushi/sashimi, especially its tempura and fried dishes, as well as grilled fish, udons and soba. So don't be fooled by its name. And not to mention its price is very cheap in today's standard - only this place serves better food relatively speaking. The majority of the regular customers here being Japanese is the dead giveaway. Best bang for your buck Japanese restaurant in Melbourne personally.

Hot food way better than Izakaya Chuji and better than the new Maedaya place in Richmond. However the services here are hit and miss. They operate in a very Japanese way and most of them are just students.

Also, if you want to have TORO or UNI, then I think it’s the wrong place to go to. Those are high end Japanese food and you're better off going to Kenzan, Kuni, Shoya, Hanabishi, Shira Nui, Ayame, etc.

Not to mention that it’s wrong to think just because it’s on the menu, it must be there. These things are highly seasonal. Toro and Uni are only available between around June to Sept in Melbourne. Unless the Uni is from Chile and not from Tasmania. If one has truly been to Japan, Toro and Uni isn't even available in most Izakaya style restaurants, even if they do serve sashimi.

Aug 26, 2008 

8 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  8      Service  8      Value  8     

Recommended. Delicious fresh sashimi and blissful chewy cold udon here. Don't know what the other reviewer was talking about, the staff were friendly and efficient , with my sister and I received smiles and nods from the chef whenever we looked over. We will definitely be back.

Mar 23, 2008 

7.5 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  7      Service  6      Value  9     

I read the two reviews below and see two extremes, Iruka glazes all over Masa whilst Ms Zofia tramples all over Masa like some 'connoisseur' Hopefully my three visits to Sushi Masa will give seekers of Japanese restaurants a more justified opinion. On all three visits we started with the same sushi/sashimi platter which is priced quite similar to many other places I frequent.

The fish was consistently fresh and of good quality, however, our only qualm was the presentation being rather plain, some places like Shoya or Ocha present their platters like an art. That point is rather negligible since we're mainly concerned with eating not looking. The hot food was also a hit for us, the ox tongue goes great with the oyster zosui/porridge (both done just right) and has become our favourite combi here.

In regards to the service, this area was definitely where I felt Masa needed the most improvement. Staff were all very polite but lacked experience in general, in particular a few tables are quite obscured from view which would have been fine if they'd actually remember to visit routinely.

Also, as I believe Ms Zofia would misunderstand, yes, every staff member I interacted with had trouble speaking English but I fail to understand how this can be taken as an insult/arrogance? If you have truly been to Japan you should have experienced the shyness of Japanese people in speaking English?

Moreover, why would one choose Masa if their main goal were rare delicacies such as 'uni'? You would have had much better luck at the likes of Shoya, Kenzan or even Nihonbashi Zen where I had some recently, melts in the mouth! The prices at Masa are quite reasonable and I like them for what they are. I recommend you give them a shot and will continue to do so until I have a bad experience whereby I will update this review.

Dec 14, 2007 

2.8 Not Recommended

Food  4      Ambience  3      Service  1      Value  3     

I don't pretend to be any kind of connoiseur of Japanese cuisine, although I'd probably get away with the claim: I've actually lived in the country and experienced the flavours first-hand and many people seem to tout themselves as experts without even having their passports stamped to back up their claims!

Sushi Masa was a bitter disappointment for me. I should have been warned away when I first made the booking! The staff member answered in Japanese, and I had to complete the booking in my second language. This sort of arrogance tells you straight away that despite operating in Australia, they have no intention of providing a service to the locals.

The sashimi selection was abysmal; I asked for staple favourites such as saba (mackeral), uni (sea urchin) and toro (tuna belly) and was told that they had none of these items. The Uni was forgiveable as I realise it is not easy to always procure but I couldn't stand to sit down to a 'real' sushi bar and eat the same fish I could get at the mall. When we informed them that we'd rather eat elsewhere if we couldn't have what we came for, however, the chef backed down and brought out toro (magic!) to entice us to stay.

Is my lowly western mouth not good enough to order such things? Are the best fishes kept only for the Japanese clients and the chaff given to the rest of us?

As if such saddening behaviour and deception was not bad enough, they charged us almost 30 dollars for a plate of chewy lacklustre 'toro'. My husband was extremely heartbroken, and I was convinced that they'd given us something else just to 'confuse the dumb aussies'.

The chef was rude and didn't engage us in conversation once, even though we were sitting at the counter in front of him. Heck, he didn't even say hello to us. He did, of course, speak to the Japanese customers who walked in the door.

I will certainly never go back there, not even if it were the last Japanese restaurant in Melbourne.

Feb 10, 2007