Kenji Modern Japanese

Oh boy, this was one fantastic evening! After a night out at a show in the city, we were heading home and without a booking or care in the world, we stumbled in to Kenji with our fingers crossed and our hopes high at about 8.30pm.
They only had one table for two left (very busy Friday night) out the front of the restaurant.
Service was outstanding, even though we were the only ones sitting out the front. The waitresses walked the perfect line between attention and space and allowed us ample time to develop our appetite and wet our whistles but attended to us when the time was right — it made for one effortless dining experience. At the end of the night, the waiter had a good length (not too long, not too dismissive) chat to us about the wine list and desserts. Big ticks for friendliness and knowledge.
The food (I won’t attempt to list the different Japanese names for the varieties of seafood we ate) was sublime and really filling, which I was surprised about the first time around — but as I had been before, I was mentally prepared.
We shared the ~$ 75 platter of bits and pieces and didn’t not enjoy any of it. You have to be a little adventurous with some of the offerings but we were up for it!
The wine was reasonably priced and a good range of local drops to keep the evening interesting :-)
Without a doubt one of the classiest impromptu dining experiences I have had in a while and I can’t wait to return!

The décor is green, modern, and elegant. The service is seamless and top notch and their people work well as a team. We ordered 4 different sushi rolls and all were generously sized, if a not too much rice for my personal liking. I could/​should have requested «lite» rice, but will do so on subsequent visits. There was nothing particularly memorable about the rolls, but there was also nothing bad/​wrong either. If you don’t like crowds and bustle ho closer to 6 than 7 which is the time several parties arrived simultaneously.

I have only been to Kenji twice — once about 9 months ago and once very recently. I am going to buck the trend of all the amazing reviews that Kenji gets and give it what I consider a reasonably generous 3 stars.
The good first: the food is fabulous! If I was rating on food alone I would give Kenji 5 stars. Delicious meals, generous servings and the degustation is creative (if somewhat too many seafood servings — 4 out of 5 dishes). The wine menu is also of reasonable range and quality.
Now for the not-​so-​good: both visits the service has not been great. And most recently it was terrible — with an arrogant/​obnoxious waitress (I won’t go into the details) and a feeling like we were being rushed to eat. The saving grace was when the owner came to personally check on us.
I am also not entirely impressed with the décor. I can’t put my finger on it but it feels as though something is missing. It feels a little too cafeteria like for me to rate it as somewhere special for dinner.
However the food is the absolute best and I will try it again in hope that the other aspects improve.

I love this place. It’s very classy and it should be. If you feel like indulging on a $ 35 pork belly with a spicy side salad with dumplings, this is it. They have a great combination of eastern and western dishes. You have the choice of using chopsticks as well. I found them useful for each the pork crackling :) I had a banana and chocolate souflee for dessert, with a coconut cream sauce. It was light and fluffy. Devine. The meals are not exactly cheap but worth it. The staff also gave great descriptions for each dish. Very thorough and friendly. I will have to come here again.

It had been a while since a visit to Kenji, can’t possibly imagine why it took so long! This is every bit as good as we remembered, maybe better. Yes it’s not cheap, however the old saying «you get what you pay for» clearly applies here.
The service is understated and quietly unobtrusive, attentive but not overbearing. Wine list excellent with many by the glass and a good list of food specials.
It’s hard to go past the Zensai plate (min 2 people), which featured seven different small tastes including a fantastic duck broth with a Parmesan foam served in a shot glass and looking like a tiny cappuccino, a wagyu beef «croquette», pork and prawn roll, dory with pickled eggplant etc. Each one was a taste sensation, even if that sounds a bit corny!
For mains I had a seared tuna fillet served with scampi dumplings, rhubarb and fresh fig. This was a work of art on the plate and absolutely delicious.
The doc had rack of Normanville lamb with baby peas, goats cheese and beetroot which had to be tasted to be believed, the depth of flavour was something else.
As it was a special occasion we shared a desert of raspberry and Gorgonzola dolce soufflé with lime ice cream and both of us thought it was divine with just the right amount of the sweet creamy Gorgonzola. Wow.
So, the verdict? It’s good, in fact it is really good! The way Kenji combines East/​West is amazing, flavours you wouldn’t dream of putting together just seem to work. Try it!

Look for: the moneyed set, couples on dates to impress, sushi connoisseurs.
The service: Attentive and polite. The ingredients of each dish are described upon serving. Kenji and his wife run an impressively tight ship.
The shop: Elegant and calm, with lime green feature wall, tables and booths.
The drink: The delicious Kinshachi Nagoya Red Miso Lager. It’s liquid umami — pure deliciousness. Extensive range of sake also available. Corkage is $ 15.
The food: Kenji is the only restaurant in Adelaide serving fugu (puffer fish), however it should be more famous for it’s extremely fresh sushi and sashimi boat (oysters, sushi, sashimi, pickled fish etc) serving 2 – 3 people for $ 65. Complimentary miso marinated olives are genius, as is their constantly changing degustation menu. The kim-​chi stuffed pork belly in their bento deserves to be a main on it’s own. The soufflé is perfect in height, however concocted to suit the Australian sweet tooth.

Disappointed with my meal and the service.

Excellent service and great food! However a little too pricey! Tried puffer fish for the first time and I enjoyed it thoroughly! Don’t think I will try it again because they’re too cute! Being a fushion japanese restaurant, they are very creative with their menu. Was there with my Japanese friend and she didn’t think the tempura was great but I would definitely come back here when I’m feeling a little fancy!

Pretentiousness abounds in here!
I came for a meal with my close and extended family and was shocked at where we had gone.
Not necessarily shocked in a negative way, mainly just shocked in that my father willingly ate at such a place.
But I digress.
After some quite exquisite appetizers (it was the only fitting word I could think of, please do not hold it against me) I had some crumbed angus beef with a ginger potato mash of some kind. This was some time ago so the exact details of what was in the meal escapes me, but I do remember that the food was definitely delicious and «top notch».
However, when the waitress brought me my meal she bagen reciting what was on my plate to the nth degree, telling me what flavours complemented what and the like. I did not need her predetermined opinion on the food. Of course I politely thanked her and kept my distaste to myself.

People rave quite a bit about Kenji, I had to check it out for myself. What struck me first was the décor, simplistic with a contemporary features.
The appetisers were fresh and all had a flavourful taste. However the price was a bit too much for the serving. Next was a selection of rolls, all with a spin on the locale. Hutt Roll and Adelaide Rolls, both containing a unique set of sea crustaceans. All delicious and good for the price, not the average sushi rolls you’d find at a street outlet.
They have a delectable range of deserts too, fig pudding with a poached quince was sophisticated and had a dollop of jersey cream on the side.
For me the experience was pretty good, not outstanding in any way. Although a bit pricey I can see the appeal.

Kenji is my favourite Japanese restaurant in Adelaide. If there is one thing you must eat in your life it is their Creamy Brie sushi roll. Think asparagus, capsicum, crunchy walnuts and melted brie. It’s fried in tempura batter so it is slightly warm. I could live on this sushi for the rest of my life. The rest of their food is amazing as well. If you want to try something different get their mixed appetizers. You really have no idea what half of it is but it does taste good!
The service is always very good. You never have to wait long to order, have your water filled or to have the food arrive. However, it isn’t too quick that you feel like you have been forced in and out in less that an hour. They have a nice selection of wine and Saki if you are feeling adventurous. Ask the waiters which one (s) you should try!
Kenji is quite pricey, but definitely worth the few extra dollars. The food and the restaurant is amazing quality and you won’t be disappointed. It isn’t a large venue so I would definitely suggest booking a table.

This is the most imaginative and tastiest Japanese restaurant I’ve ever been to.
And it’s the first the first to serve me my favourite cheese from Cyprus, Haloumi. This proves it means it when it says modern Japanese.
Like all good modern food, the restaurant takes on flavours from around the world and gives it a twist of that nation’s culinary characteristics.
In this case the cheese is pan fried with burdock and carrot kakiage tempura, and served with daikon and mizuna salad and mixed mushroom ankake sauce.
My bloke loves the slow-​cooked Barossa pork belly with steamed gyoza dumpling, crispy pork skin and green apple and kim chi salad.
There’s also plenty of outstanding and imaginative sushi dishes, such as the Hutt Roll (eight pieces of scallop, avocado, cucumber, fried shallots and salmon roe), the vegetarian Creamy Brie Roll (four pieces of brie cheese, asparagus, roasted red capsicum, walnut fried tempura in batter) and the Caterpillar Roll, which is actually that old cockney favourite eel with avocado and cucumber.
In fact, there are too many tasty highlights to mention here.
The waiting staff are lovely and the service is excellent too.
I strongly recommend you visit this restaurant and find out why it makes so many people return.