Hako sushi is a style from Osaka, pressed into a square mould.

What a difference the day makes. I’m sitting at Sushi On Little Bourke at 12.58pm on a Thursday. Diners stand hopefully at the entrance, looking towards a packed communal benchtop and tables full of diners.

“I’m sorry, it will be 20 minutes’ wait,” says a waiter to one disappointed doorway lurker after another. The lucky ones inside are slurping grilled-beef udon scattered with crunchy tempura bits, chopsticking neat squares of hako sushi and making sure a yuzu-spiked Worcestershire sauce doesn’t ooze out of a pork sando onto their shirt.

But bustle is not always the way at this plywood, concrete and glass box of a restaurant, with one side facing the grand Supreme Court building, and the other onto a plaza. On another Thursday visit – this time 6.30pm – my table is the only one with diners. The lighting that was optimistic by day has become stark by night. I’m not keen to shrug off my jacket and there’s no music to boost the vibes. Despite all that, relentlessly friendly service and one of Melbourne’s best-value omakase offerings, served evenings only, make this weekday diner a drawcard.

Sleek corner restaurant Sushi On Little Bourke is bustling at lunchtime.

The set menu dishes are drawn from the regular carte, sometimes as pint-sized versions. Hako sushi is a style from Osaka, pressed into a square mould. The shape has novelty value, and it’s easier to make than the persnickety nigiri, ensuring consistency across a team of various skill levels. The fish choice is usually the standard triumvirate of salmon, tuna and kingfish, but it’s high quality seafood and the tuna and kingfish are aged for a few days to make the texture dense and the flavour concentrated. There’s evident care in the well-seasoned koshihikari rice, too.

Melbourne is not lacking for fried chicken but the ribs here stand out: brined for two days to make them extra juicy, they’re coated with gluten-free potato starch and served with a bright citrus mayo. Meanwhile, if a sushi restaurant and a bistro fell in love, their babies would be the crispy rice with rillettes. Chef Doowon Lee worked at Nobu Melbourne for four years and came up with a version of this dish there. Rice is formed into golden-chewy crackers, ready for scooping French-style potted fish, made with plenty of butter and slow-cooked salmon and kingfish belly. It’s elegant, fun and surprising, good with a few sips of crisp daiginjo sake.

Chicken ribs are brined for two days, coated with gluten-free potato starch and served with a bright citrus mayo.

Sushi On Little Bourke opened in early 2025 as a city offshoot of Sushi On, a premium sushi restaurant in Kew run by chef Yong Hyun. The city place was a partnership with 14-year-old Korean restaurant group TCNC (it stands for Talented Crew N Company), which runs Italian-Korean fusion venues in Seoul, and also owns Korean stone-pot rice restaurant Sot Dining in Bourke Street. (Another Sot will soon open at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel, and the group is on the verge of launching Bunired, a burger brand with beetroot-red buns, opposite Sushi On Little Bourke.)

Running an upscale two-hatter in Kew and a fast-paced city spot didn’t work for Hyun, and he left the latter in February. I miss his interesting approach to seafood selection here but the Little Bourke place is still a strong option for considered but accessible Japanese food.

I find it fascinating that there’s a Korean restaurant group with venues in Seoul and Melbourne. There’s such a strong culinary link between these two food-obsessed cities, with Korean chefs and restaurateurs putting a strong stamp on our scene, and a bunch of Seoul cafes serving Aussie-style flat whites and brunches.

“We chose Melbourne because it has such a dynamic and progressive food culture,” Lee told me. “Diners here are knowledgeable, open to new ideas and comfortable exploring different cuisines.” If that means omakase for $88, you can definitely count me as a happy explorer.

Three more great value restaurants to try

Beverly Rooftop

To celebrate its third birthday (wait, how did that happen?), chef David Ball is serving up three of the venue-with-a-view’s best-loved back catalogue dishes for $33 each. They’re available Monday to Wednesday until August 23. Choose from chilli prawn tonnarelli, steak frites with wagyu rump, and gnocchi with pea puree. There’s also tiramisu served tableside for $22.

Level 24, 627 Chapel Street, South Yarra, beverlyrooftop.com.au

Horn Please

It’s been 16 years that this happily inauthentic Indian restaurant has been looking after the inner north. To mark the milestone on August 15 (also India’s Independence Day), every dish will be just $16. Favourite tastes include tandoor-cooked paneer, smoked lamb curry and goat biryani.

167 St Georges Road, Fitzroy North, hornplease.com.au

Mr Roman

The people behind St Albert’s pizzeria in Mont Albert have opened an Italian restaurant in Camberwell. Mr Roman is fast becoming known for its $20 Tuesday parma deal which includes chips and a soft drink. As well as classic toppings, there’s a choice of Hawaiian, Mexican and more. The colourful neighbourhood restaurant opened without a liquor license but the spritzes are now flowing.

1230 Toorak Road, Camberwell, mrroman.com.au

Good Food reviews are booked anonymously and paid independently. A restaurant can’t pay for a review or inclusion in the Good Food Guide.

Dani Valent

Forget hand rolls – beat the lunchtime rush at this fancy daytime sushi spot in the CBD