Watch full review from Man of Many:

We were thrilled to welcome the Man of Many team—and a very special date—to Izy.Aki for their Monday Munchies series. What unfolded was exactly the kind of evening we live for: a couple walking in with no idea what’s on the menu, and walking out already planning their return.

The Philosophy Behind the Menu

That sense of surprise is intentional. At Izy.Aki, our 20-seat kappo yakiniku omakase restaurant on Oxford Street, Paddington, the menu is entirely in our hands—and we wouldn’t have it any other way. As owner Darren Templeman explained on camera, the menu is fluid, always changing, always moving. What stays constant is the commitment to quality, the fire of the binchotan, and the art of cooking over Japanese charcoal.

It’s a philosophy rooted in Darren’s travels through Japan, sitting at izakayas in backstreet Kyoto and Tokyo, and imagining what it would look like to bring that same warmth and intimacy back to Sydney—elevated, but never stiff.

The Star of the Show: The Egg

No visit to Izy.Aki is complete without our signature dish, and Man of Many’s wife said it best: watching the plating, the time, the care that goes into it—you don’t always get that at any restaurant.

The Egg has been on our hearts since long before Izy.Aki opened its doors. Born at Darren’s previous restaurant Atelier, it was customers themselves who brought it back, asking for it by name when Izy.Aki launched. And so it stayed—a free-range hen’s egg, emptied and refilled with smoked eel, foie gras and golden trout roe. Rich, layered, and impossible to forget.

The reaction from the table? A stunned silence, followed by: “Oh, it’s so good. Excuse me. Wow!”
We’ll take that.

A Date Night Worth Repeating

By the end of the evening, Man of Many’s wife had already made her verdict clear: “I will definitely have to come back here. This has been amazing.”
And Man of Many agreed: “Yes, we’ll be back.”

That’s the Izy.Aki experience. Intimate enough to feel personal, extraordinary enough to stay with you long after the last dish is cleared.

We are so grateful to the Man of Many team for spending their Monday with us and sharing the magic of Izy.Aki with their audience. If their visit has inspired yours, we would love to welcome you to the counter.
Book your omakase experience at Izy.Aki, Paddington. We can’t wait to see you at the table.

Izy.Aki Kappo Yakiniku Omakase 362 Oxford Street, Paddington NSW 2021 Open Tuesday to Saturday, from 5:00pm Bookings essential — reserve your table here