What do you get when you combine a Michelin-starred chef, a bustling Potts Point laneway, neon Harajuku-inspired lights and great value quality Japanese food? Say hello to the new kid on the block, Iki Dining.
The menu at casual Japanese diner, which opened in mid-2025, is split into three concepts: a raw bar, casual izakaya bites and steaming bowls of chintan-style ramen. Whether you’re sitting al fresco, by the bar, or in the booths of the main dining room, you’ll have access to all three – who said it was hard to please everybody?
On a bustling night, you’ll see the raw bar display front and centre at the bar. A chef meticulously slices segments of salmon, kingfish, tuna and scallop. Choose to get the sashimi served nigiri-style rolled up like your favourite sushi, or you can opt for the sashimi platters that come served in a little boat with a dry-ice spectacle.
For something a little more substantial for your next course, the izakaya menu features Japanese classics like crisp chicken karaage and crunchy-bottomed pork and chicken gyoza, alongside some modern interpretations by chef Masahiko Yomoda. Most of the small plates ring in at under $20. For larger plates, the Wagyu aburi steak is served on umami butter sauce with a kick of wasabi on the side, plus a wedge of cabbage that’s grilled and caramelised with a yuzu miso sauce.
You may recognise chef Yomoda’s face from his appearances on MasterChef Australia or Iron Chef Australia, but his culinary background runs far deeper. He’s trained for more than 20 years across France, Japan and Australia and used to cook at Arbace in Tokyo where he was awarded a Michelin star.
His signature dish is his ramen. At Iki it’s served with no MSG, and as a clear chintan broth. It makes for a lighter soup that pairs with toppings like chashu pork, lobster tail or golden cod fillets. Don’t fret if you want a hearty bowl but fill up a little too fast on the other delicious offerings – on our visit friendly staff serve us our ramen with a little ladle and two adorable bowls to share.
The drinks menu is crafted with just as much thought in mind. Award-winning bartender (top 100 in the World Class Cocktail Competition and top 10 in the Suntory Cup Sydney) Sam Liao mixes and matches delicate teas with fruity flavours for the joint’s signature East-Asian mocktails. There’s of course plenty of sake to go around too – both on its own or in reinvented cocktails like the Yuzu Margarita.
An umami flavour bomb awaits at Iki Dining – whether it's a long lunch with good company or an electric night out.
Find out more here.
Address: 42 Llankelly Pl, Potts Point NSW 2011