Restaurant Review: Yuki Japanese Restaurant

Location: 1901-1903 Malvern Rd, Malvern East

Phone: 03 9885 7833
Cuisine: "Japanese" 

Overall Impression: 5/10*

In contrast to the amazing dining experience we had had at Sarti the night before, we had an awkward one at Yuki (pronounced Yucky, ok, no it is not) Japanese Restaurant in Malvern. Clearly J and I like to mix it up a bit. And you know what? It was actually a pretty enjoyable night out, apart from the food, that is.

But yes. From the moment we arrived we noticed how empty the restaurant was. It had been such an effort making a booking for the restaurant. I had rung several times and had been told that they were booked out for about a month so we actually booked a month in advance. Needless to say, it was extremely weird to see the restaurant looking quite so empty.

Neither of us had actually heard of this restaurant until J decided to have a go at buying a voucher advertised by Deals. It was advertised as follows:
Spectacular Japanese Banquet! Pay only $29 for TWO PEOPLE for amazing ALL-YOU-CAN-EAT Japanese Banquet including Sushi, Gyoza, Tempura, Yaki Udon, Chicken Katsu, Desserts and much more! Normally $80 from Yuki in East Malvern

From the kindness of his heart, my dear J decided to buy the voucher and take me along for a Japanese treat. When he had first bought it, we were both excited at the thought of reminiscing the time we had both spent in Japan.  

It turned out, however, that the ad for the "Japanese" banquet was both misleading and deceptive. It was neither Japanese and not was it amazing.

Prior to going to the restaurant, we had actually been reading horrendous reviews of the restaurant. No one seemed to have anything good to say about Yuki. So, we were slightly apprehensive at the thought of dining there. All in all, it was not nearly as bad as the reviews had suggested. That is not to say that either of us will ever be returning, merely that the food was in fact edible although not Japanese.

The "tempura prawns and vegetables" were deep fried prawns and vegetables that you would expect from your local fish and chip shop. You know what? It's probably not worth going into detail about the food. Suffice to say, it was not very good. But it was very much edible run of the mill food court level "Japanese" food served by non-Japanese.

Now, for the positives.

Yes, there were some.

It *is* in fact all-you-can-eat. The waitstaff were extremely attentive in making sure we always had food on the table. Although they frequently mixed orders up, they tried their very best to provide the best level of care. We received every single dish we had ordered. The unagi (eel) was actually very nice.

As the meal costs J $29 and included sake (pictured above) and fed the both of us with more than ample portions of food, it was fair. I would not however had been too pleased if that meal had cost $80. My advice is to use up your voucher soon if you still have it. It is really not that bad, but do it with a sense of urgency because it is unlikely that Yuki will be around for very much longer.

*The overall impression score is based on using a voucher. My understanding is that if a voucher had not been used, more dishes would have been available and the full price per person would be $40.