About Us
IKI was built on a Michelin-starred chef, a founder who grew up in hospitality, and a group of people who care about the details. The group now runs multiple venues across Sydney, each with its own character and each built to the same standard.
Pull up to an omakase counter and watch the meal unfold in front of you. Take a seat at the sushi train, or share ramen and small plates with the people you like on a night that doesn't need to be a special occasion. Duck in for a coffee and something sweet, because the afternoon calls for it. Different rooms, different reasons, the same hand behind the food.
We're building a legacy of Japanese venues that belong in Sydney and stay true to where they came from.
MASAHIKO YOMODA
Before he understood what a restaurant was, he understood that food made people feel something.
He grew up between his father's Western confectionery and his mother's traditional Japanese sweet shop, in a home where food was made carefully and given generously. It shaped the way he thinks about a meal, and that hasn't changed.
He trained at École Tsuji Tokyo, then in France, before joining Joël Robuchon in Ebisu on his return to Japan. Three and a half years in one of the world's most demanding kitchens, starting with the details nobody sees. L'Osier in Ginza came next, where dining revealed itself as something larger than any single dish. His own Michelin star in Tokyo followed.
Sydney offered something the kitchens in Japan had not. The same precision, more room to move. His food found a quieter confidence here, shaped by a city with its own strong sense of what good eating looks like.
He is Executive Chef at IKI, responsible for the kitchen, the menu, the team, and the experience as a whole. Not simply a chef, but the person who decides what the room feels like from the moment you sit down to the moment you leave.
The goal, as it has always been, is simple. That the meal stays with you. Not as a memory of what you ate, but as a feeling you carry out the door.
Cooking is emotion. Everything at IKI starts there.
EDDY LEE
Born into a family of restaurateurs, Eddy has spent his career building venues from the inside out, close to the craft and close to the people walking through the door.
His background spans hospitality, retail, and FMCG, including time as CEO of Naked Foods. Across every business he has led, he has brought the same combination: hands-on execution and the commercial discipline to scale without losing what made the thing worth building in the first place.
Through IKI Dining Group, that experience is focused on a single belief. That exceptional Japanese food should be accessible to everyone, without compromising on experience, integrity, or detail. The vision is bigger than one venue, but the measure he keeps coming back to is a simple one. Whether guests are proud to return.
Our Venues
IKI Dining - Ramen & Izakaya
IKI Sushi - Sushi Train & Omakase
