A fresh perspective on Japanese fine dining, Akaiito transforms the Omakase experience in the heart of Melbourne’s CBD
Located in the heart of Melbourne’s CBD, a fine-dining Japanese restaurant, Akaiito, has introduced an innovative dining concept, Omakase at Your Table. The gourmet experience is led by a team of robatayaki and sushi chefs, who artfully prepare culinary creations through the integration of Japanese cooking methods with native Australian ingredients.
Omakase at Your Table is an intimate culinary experience limited to 30 guests per sitting, where Head Chef Winston Zhang enhances the traditional omakase by bringing the kitchen team tableside. Winston highlights the diversity in ingredients, showcasing their versatility, textures and flavour profiles, through seasonal menus. The Omakase is an immersive experience, with each course intricately explained by chefs.
Seasonal menus blend traditional Japanese and French cooking techniques, with locally sourced ingredients from farmers and suppliers, showcasing diverse menu items, including smoked Spanish mackerel, spanner crab chawanmushi, Kinmedai with white asparagus, Western Australian marron, seven-day dry-aged duck and MB9+ Wagyu. The dessert menu includes Guava sorbet, fermented strawberry, quince, nashi pear and raspberry meringue. After the dinner, diners end the evening in the lounge with a selection of petit fours and digestifs.
A thoughtfully curated selection of beverages has been designed to complement the Omakase experience, with a selection of wine, sake and cocktails offered with a seasonal focus. The wine list is created with consultation from sommelier Grant Van Every, and sakes are selected by Front of House Manager Christine Chen. To finish, a glass of Tete Japanese Botanical Liquor a limited-release Japanese organic botanical liquor, to cleanse the palate.
Located in the bustling street of Flinders Lane, guests enter through a surreptitious facade into Akaiito’s contemporary lounge. A symbolic ‘red thread of destiny’ guides diners through the dining room, where the chefs create dishes in an open kitchen for everyone to see, and observe in plush banquet seating.
The offering is brought to life with two new menus, an ‘Aka’ five-course degustation ($178pp), and a seven-course signature ‘Kojin’ experience ($228pp).
The experience is available to book now at akaiito.com