The south end of Hutt Street used to be the sole domain of race-goers, until Kenji's modern Japanese cuisine entered Adelaide's dining scene. Forget the rice-paper blinds, bowing and shoes at the door. Enter the innovative and talented Kenji Ito, whose menu adheres to the Australian dining custom of three distinct courses. The meal is best begun with a mixed platter of appetisers, including seven delicious Japanese-style morsels. Having whet the appetite sufficiently, a beautiful plate of sushi shows Ito's sure hand for the classics.
The unassuming shopfront of lime green, timber and white is hidden among leafy trees, adjacent to the South Terrace Parklands. The colourful wall decorations accentuate the compact space, which is cheery, rather than corny. The wine list includes a number of excellent matches for this cuisine. Lovers of the scarlet grape should stick to the more lightly oaked versions to best complement the food.
All reviews and ratings are the expressed opinions of our users, and in no way reflects the opinions of yourRestaurants, its staff and its affiliates.
Posted by:
kma
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15 July 2009, 10.09am
Innovative Japanese
Kenji has surely stamped itself as the most innovative Japanese restaurant in South Australia. Finally Adelaide has a Japanese menu that consists of more than sushi, sashimi, tempura and teppanyaki. The mixed entree was superb. No pretentious pieces of food that have been foamed, deconstructed or turned into an 'art' plate - just six bite sized samplers of thoughtful matching of flavours and textures. An absolute must for anyone who wants to taste everything on the entree menu! The crusted tuna was superbly cooked and the confit duck leg with tea smoked breast pieces was delicious - duck cooked two different ways with amazing results and complemented each other perfectly. We were enticed by every main on the menu, so will need to return to work our way through the rest of them. This is our second visit to Kenji and equally consistent quality of food and service, so we have no reason to doubt that this will be the same for every visit in the future to work our way through everything else on their menu. The banana chocolate souffle for dessert was totally unnecessary, but...simple, tasty and delicate flavours of banana and chocolate completed perfectly with vanilla bean ice cream. Great atmosphere, great prices and innovative menu.
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Visit: Tue 23 June 2009
Mealtime: dinner
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Posted by:
Spokey Doke
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24 April 2009, 11.26am
Most impressed
To date, Kenji offers the most impressive 'modern fusion' menu i have ever sampled... the chef here obviously has passion for their art, you can practically taste the love! I rarely feel comfortable labelling dining out as 'moving' experience, but I am confident in doing so in the case of Kenji.
Expect silence from your dining companions if you eat here, the food will absorb all of your attention until completely consumed... it's hard to believe that taste can be such an overwhelming sense, but there you have it.
Every companion I have ever brought to this restaurant, every person I have ever recommended it to has reportedly found it one of the most remarkable culinary experiences in Adelaide they can lay claim to.
My only gripe is that I wish there was more vegetarian mains on offer... a vegetarian can still experience a very satisfying meal here, but you might find yourself ordering the same stuff every time.
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Visit: Fri 24 April 2009
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Posted by:
grassyknoll
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9 December 2007, 7.36pm
Really good
What a place. The restaurant was packed and buzzing, but the staff sat us down with a couple of beers in no time. I started with a kingfish carpaccio that had the most unique flavour combination I have ever experienced, and a glass of Chandon bubbles from the Yarra (which was about $8!) which started the night really well. I had the dukka-crusted big eye tuna steak, that had sat on wicked heat for just a second. This was magnificent. Thoughtful food. Only 30 bucks or so. Great value. I was pretty full but decided on dessert anyway. Lime panna cotta with rhubarb sorbet, damn tasty. See you next week, Kenji.
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Visit: Sun 9 December 2007
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Posted by:
vents
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22 November 2006, 5.05pm
Turning Japanese
Wow! what a find. Kenji's cuisine mixes the best flavours of Japanese cooking with the mod-Oz produce we all know and love The teriyaki limestone coast lamb rump was extremely flavoursome and side dishes are equally as good while arousing the interest.The sushi is some of the freshest I've ever had and the staff epitomise respectful hospitable Japanese culture. An absolute delight made even more so by the reasonable price tag. The range of sakis will amaze you.
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Visit: Wed 22 November 2006
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