Kisume is spread over three levels, into which Mr Chin Chin, Chris Lucas, has distilled decades of experience into creating his boldest, unashamedly ambitious, restaurant yet.

Set up as a many splendored thing – part chablis bar, sushi counter, basement restaurant, exclusive private dining room and intimate 12-seat kaiseki – Kisume is a modern Japanese restaurant that’s unmistakably Melbourne but with added New York attitude.

On the ground floor, a quietly industrious sushi counter is the place for flappingly fresh sushi served as part of a great value omakase (chef’s selection), or a deluxe sushi box made from a roll call of local fish, though the extensive menu ticks off dumplings and sashimi, elegant tempura from the fryer and wagyu from the grill, in a fashion at once familiar and unique.

Upstairs is Kuro Kisume housing the chablis bar and The Table, the crowning jewel of the lot. It’s here that Korean-born, Tokyo-trained Chef Moon presents a uniquely Australian expression of kaiseki (the Japanese version of French haute cuisine), across an evolving 15-course meal that might include bonito broth served over abalone, fresh oyster with sea urchin, mud crab with caviar, and the prized o-toro tuna belly shaved, sliced and served with black truffle and foie gras in the ultimate expression of OTT luxe.

With master sommelier Jonathan Ross guiding drinks across the venue, Kisume is like nothing we’ve ever seen before. And it’s a glorious vision indeed.

Must eat dish: Deluxe sushi box
Instagram: @kisume_au