Kenzan Japanese Restaurant

Dine in a very busy night. Sitting at the bar table, had been waiting for 10 minutes without being served nor asking for a drinks or something. This is a bit awkward because as a Japanese fine dining restaurant suppose to look after every single customer. Certainly not a good experience. All other customer were served with hot towels. Asked the waitress why? She said not everyone served with the towels. Another awkward moment. Because I am not a regular customer? The rest are good sushi and sashimi pairing with very good sake. So I would say the kind of services need to be improved. Other than that, good food and good environment.

Amazing meal. Nice atmosphere, super friendly staff all around. Food was simple but done properly. The tempura was light but crunchy, prawn had sweetness bursting through. All the tempura pieces had melt in my mouth softness but still had structure. Agedashi tofu had broth that I wish I could take home to pair with plain rice and eat all day. Teriyaki beef cooked perfectly accompanied by it's amazing sauce. Would love to come back.

Okay, for the price, I have definitely been to better Japanese restaurants. I came here a few times before the pandemic and remember it being pretty good. I feel like both service and food quality may have have fallen by the wayside since then. The sushi and sashimi here is very good but everything else was good but not enough to justify the price. The place was busy, but even so we had food placed on our table and the servers left it but came back 5 minutes later to take it away, saying it was a mistake. We did order that dish but apparently we weren't suppose to have it yet. We ordered the lobster tempura which was on special, it was $50 and though there was a lot of lobster, the texture was tough. I suspect it was overcooked. The lobster miso soup was also a little hard to eat as you had to get the meat out of the shell itself. Not so bad normally but it was in soup so a little hard not to get miso soup on yourself while trying to hook meat out of a lobster. I wouldn't bring a big party here again. I would suggest, a date night and a seat at the counter where the chefs are preparing the sushi to really appreciate this place. The normal items like the bento are overpriced and we were served the smallest scoop of ice cream ever for desert, but if you're only ordering sushi and sashimi, it would be better value for your money.

It was such a pleasure treat to dine in here celebrating a family member's birthday. This place is different from other Japanese restaurant in its style. It still preserves a traditional taste instead of fusion. I ordered a set menu with minimum of two. Started with a hearty miso soup and followed with a dumpling. Then sushi and sashimi platter was as great and the beef and rice. The great food taste, the attentive as well as knowledgable staff assistance, and its easily access location, have completed my dining experience. Its ambiance has recalled my memory of having kaiseski during my travel in Japan back then. I definitely would like to come back here for another extraordinary dishes.

A traditional Japanese restaurant located in Collins Place with a sushi bar that can fit around twelve people and a dimly lit dining area. There is a bit of everything from the menu, great selection of sushi and sashimi and also sukiyaki and shabu shabu requiring a minimum of two people. A special menu was provided with some recommended dishes for the day as well as section for dessert. Ordered a main size deluxe sushi set which consisted of ten pieces (eight nigiri and two gunkan). Sushi was fresh and delicious with a good fish to rice ratio. For the selection of seafood in the deluxe sushi set which included chutoro, minced otoro, ikura and some fatty fish belly, it was definitely a good deal. Also ordered a piece of the otoro, scampi and flame seared wagyu nigiri which was off the menu. Expensive but the quality and freshness was there. For dessert, had the matcha crème brulée; texture was custard-like with a decent sweet matcha flavour; and the Japanese sweets bowl was delicate, pleasantly sweet and refreshing; enjoyed all the components in the bowl. Overall very tasty sushi and dessert and the service was good. For a better sushi experience highly recommend booking for the counter seat to see the chefs prepare the sushi right before your eyes. Also the ala carte sushi menu is quite expensive so better to order a sushi set first and then add on as needed.

When it comes to sushi & sashimi, Kenzan is still one of the best around town. But surprisingly, service has deteriorated somewhat compared to few years ago when I was last here. Full house on a weeknight..yes, but there’s still an expectation of service standards when you’re paying these sort of money. Rushed service, with poor attention to details. Pandemic-related staff issues??? Time will tell.