The affluent Toorak Road village makes an excellent home for an omakase menu celebrating wagyu, the Rolls-Royce of beef. The luscious, ultra-marbled fatty beef is star of this 12-course show, with Kobe beef and its Australian counterpart from elite producer David Blackmore, put through its paces in the shapeshifting form of temaki (hand-rolled nori), tataki, soup, steaks and a super-fun katsu sando, most of it licked by the intense heat of the Josper charcoal oven. One cannot live by wagyu alone (although we’re willing to give it a try) so expect the beefy good times to be ballasted by artfully prepared seafood such as Tasmanian abalone in a sauce of its own liver and slippery-cold somen noodles with a gooey onsen egg in a sauce of bonito soy. Oh, and the sake list is second to none. 150 Toorak Rd, South Yarra; yakikami.com.au.

A serene, timber-lined bolthole sitting above Collins Street is the setting for 12 seats and 10 courses following a traditional omakase trajectory. That might mean chawanmushi luxed up with spanner crab meat and Yarra Valley roe, followed by meticulously sliced sashimi, butter-rich black Alaskan cod or a levitatingly light bowl of dashi in the depths of which lurks a cloud-like orb of tofu. You can certainly expect multiple rounds of sushi including an exquisite kombu-marinated piece of King George whiting, and end with a huge puck of pale pink, ultra-fatty tuna loin fished from NSW waters, harmonising with a subtle pickle. We’re happy to call the restaurant lure cast out by the glam W hotel a runaway success. Yes, Warabi is a capital-W winner. 408 Flinders Lane, Melbourne; warabimelbourne.com.

Scoring one of 12 seats at Minamishima’s mood-lit sushi bar to watch sushi master Koichi Minamishima work his magic is one of Melbourne’s must-do dining experiences. This back street Richmond location is all about the meticulous knifework, the deft palming of rice in which each grain is distinct and the expert judgment over briefly torching a piece of tuna belly so it explodes into rivers of fat in the mouth. The sushi omakase masterclass is based on top-notch produce from near and far, from sea urchin and scallops flown in from Tokyo’s Tsukiji fish market to fat Queensland prawns and West Australian marron. From jellyfish with ankimo paste and shiso leaf to alfonsino and smoked radish, it’s an incredible ride. 4 Lord St, Richmond; minamishima.com.au.

Stepping from the rowdiness of Kisume into the rarefied atmosphere of its top-floor omakase counter can feel a bit like whiplash, but in the best possible way. The pinnacle of Chris Lucas’ triple-tiered temple of Japanese gastronomy is the scene for a lavish indulgence based around hang-the-expense ingredients, from silken spanner crab chawanmushi to a bisque-laced lobster sando. Abalone and wagyu can be relied upon to make an appearance, but that doesn’t mean accessible ingredients can’t reach similar heights, as a raw scallop and white asparagus in a captivatingly tangy beurre blanc comprehensively proves. The drinks list also heads to the high ground, whether your weak spot is sake or Chablis. 175 Flinders Lane, Melbourne; kisume.com.au.

The Japanese pursuit of “ichigyo zammai” – doing one thing excessively well – can be witnessed in action at behind a non-descript wooden door in a row of South Melbourne offices. Celebrating the art of frying since 2007, this temple of tempura is all about the ethereal crunch and gossamer fineness of the world’s most exquisite batter, encasing a parade of morsels from vegetables to seafood. The seasons and the day’s markets prescribe what is passed across the counter by two robed chefs working their oil-filled brass pans with long chopsticks, but you can expect the likes of a perfect king prawn or scallop with a dab of sea urchin. Bookended by sashimi and sushi, it’s an omakase with a difference. 60 Park Street, South Melbourne; tempurahajime.com.au.