Sake Flinders Lane

Saké Restaurant & Bar has brought its multi award-winning contemporary Japanese dining experience to Melbourne’s much-loved gastronomic destination, Flinders Lane.

The new super premium, two-storey Saké restaurant has a vibrant street-level entry with a dramatic sweeping natural stone counter combining a sushi bar and spectacular robatayaki grill. Downstairs, Saké boasts an expansive natural Japanese stone bar as well as a bright outdoor terrace.

The kitchen is headed by Executive Chef Jean Paul Lourdes, whose impressive resume includes 3-star Michelin credentials spanning Paris, Hong Kong and Tokyo. The result is a menu which is innovative and showcases Victoria’s high quality local produce and ingredients. The menu pays homage to the Saké family style but also reflects Lourdes' signature flair and panache. Without exception, all dishes were perfectly executed and showed tremendous technical ability and an understanding of flavour. We loved the celebration of locally-sourced produce and in particular the clever use of artisan cheeses and heritage bred chicken and pork.

The beef tataki, shichimi togarashi and salted plum was exquisite. The contrasting textures defined this dish - perfectly rare, tender slices of beef were served warm and seasoned with spicy house-made togarashi and freeze-dried plum and salted plum. Like the togarashi, other core ingredients are crafted in-house, including furikake, tofu and miso paste.

The Hokkaido scallop which followed was equally majestic. Plump and wonderfully fresh scallops were served with seaweed gremolata and sea herbs. The dish was notable for the quality of the scallops and the interplay between the gentle salinity of the various herbs and seaweed against the texture and sweetness of the scallop.  

The restaurant boasts some of the best yakitori that Melbourne has to offer. We absolutely loved the chicken breast and thigh skewers we sampled. Without exception, each skewer had been expertly seasoned, was wonderfully flavoursome and delectably charred on the outside courtesy of having been brined and slow cooked for a combined 24 hours before being glazed and robata grilled over ancient binchotan charcoal.

Another must-have is the "House Salad" which was a delightfully fresh counterpoint. An enticing combination of sprouting broccoli, ancient quinoa and farmers cheese, it was a wonderful amalgamation of fresh flavours and textures which worked beautifully with the creamy burrata.

To match the impressive cuisine is an equally impressive drinks menu which features an extensive range of Japanese craft beers, and the largest range of umeshu, sake and Japanese whisky of all Saké restaurants. Seasonal cocktails give the talented bar team the chance to experiment - think shiitake-infused Hakushu single malt cocktail and a cheesecake martini combining Appleton VX Jamaican rum, yuzu juice, mascarpone and blueberries. The downstairs bar features a spectacular shochu library of 80 gorgeous urns each containing 1.9 litres of shochu. Customers can buy urns and access their personal shochu collection from the library each time they visit.

To finish, a duo of desserts concluded our evening an a sweet high.  The chocolate aero was playful and decadent, boasting luxurious chocolate mousse, crystallized violets and madgascan vanilla. The myoga marshmallow on the other hand was a wonderfully imaginative dish. Playful and thoroughly modern, the dessert is all about the contrast -  wonderfully tart marshmallow underneath sweet melt in your mouth marshmallow.

The new Saké offers everything you know and love about its sister restaurants in an exciting new interpretation. Serving up innovative and delicious contemporary Japanese cuisine in chic surroundings, Saké on Flinders Lane is definitely one to check out. 

Location: 121 Flinders Lane, Melbourne

Phone: 1300 670 910

Link: http://www.sakerestaurant.com.au

Cuisine: Japanese