akaiito

had an amazing dining experience atakaiitofor our anniversary.
started with some awesome cocktails. food started on a good note with some oysters and canapés and it keep on getting better with every course.
the service was really good with friendly staff and great chef.

what a great findakaiitoproved to be. newly opened we experienced great service and delicious food. we had a few hiccups with the order our dishes were presented, some things forgotten but the way this was handled by the wait staff shows they are committed to making akaiita up there with the best japanese melbourne has to offer.

we started with oysters followed by wagu tartare served with crispy nori that we really enjoyed. sushi (nigiri) was perfect and the quality of the sashimi didn’t go unnoticed.

all items from the robata charcoal grill were so succulent we wanted more of each. we sampled the chicken meatballs & the tooth fish which was exceptional.

finished with the lamb ribs which were sticky and falling of the bone deliciousness but we probably need some steamed rice to help cut the richness.

the lemon soufflé was the perfect finish to a wonderful meal. we will return again very soon.

i came here yesterday for my bday dinner ! have to rate 5 starts because of the great food and super friendly service ! the restaurant decoration is very cool and warming , the beef tartae taco is one of the must try dishes i would recommend , the sashimi was very fresh and tasty ! 😍😍 and the price is also very reasonable compare to other japanese fine dining restaurant ! my table was served by a japanese lady ! she is very friendly and enthusiasm and very polite to every customers ! we really enjoyed everything yestersay fromakaiito! will back here a gain soon . ❤️

we were so excited to tryakaiitoand were surprisingly so disappointed. service was terrible. food took ages to come out and when it did it was cold. quality was underwhelming. the ribs were all fat and fried rice seemed stale. really not worth the price. don’t waste your time or money.

i loved the vibes at atmosphere at akaiito. intimate dark moody interior with the steady soothing tones of "japanese" inspired chill music, it's a place i can easily unwind.

ordered: setaku menu ($65pp)
small
🥟akaiitowagyu gyoza: wagyu mince, truffle paste, spicy shell fish oil vinaigrette, prawn tartare
🦪 robata scallops (gf): yuzu, seaweed butter
🦐 robata king ebi (gf): king prawn, kombu butter, shellfish oil
+ 🥓 wagyu tataki: wagyu tri-tips, spicy ponzu, leek, egg yolk, garlic chips (+$7pp)

large
🐔 tori koshi yaki: robata grilled marinated spring chicken, yuzu kosho
🍚 truffle fried rice (v): seasonal mushrooms, truffle paste, spring onion
🥩 char siu pork bo ssam: char-grilled char siu style pork neck, kimchi, ginger & shallot sauce, lettuce cups, ssamjang sauce

review:
from the small portion, i really liked the robata scallops. plump pieces and slightly sweet, it was like heaven in my mouth. i absolutely adore scallops at any of the higher end restaurants because it's fresh, and lightly chargrilled to give that incredible sear. would highly recommend this!

now directing the spotlight on to two of the large dishes: the truffle fried rice and tori koshi yaki.
the truffle rice was a little dry. wish there was some fat stir fried in to give a little gleam and a little moisture, but it was ok. niku ou still does it best 😝.
the chicken was a surprise success though! i don't expect much from chicken dishes in general, but the swab of wasabi and/ horseradish added that fiery kick to an otherwise bland dish. i took too much wasabi at one point and it blew out my brains, but it was too addictive!! truly a small but significant addition to the dish which made it memorable.

akaiito has really nice vibes that i gushed over in the introduction but the menu is not a la carte which makes this "set" menu a commitment.
also beware, small portions alert! which is why we had to order an extra portion of wagyu tataki to fill us up a bit more.

⭐️ 4/5 stars

🍓 food - we got $65 set menu for 3 small dishes and 3 large dishes and also 9 piece sashimi for $29 as a starter. the food was amazing, we loved the wagyu tataki, king prawn and truffle fried rice. the ribs were a slight let down as it was mainly bone and no meat was on it. however the flavour profile was still nice.

🥝 ambience - the ambience atakaiitowas amazing! the red ribbon is such a unique feature with dimly lit lighting and candles everywhere. if you walk past the robata/grill, the aroma leaves your mouth watering.

🍒 service - service was great. staff were friendly and helped out when needed.

update: originally left an unhappy review a while back during isolation when ordering take away. the management team reached out to redeem the experience. i’m pleased to share that i had an amazing dining experience. dishes were flavorful, service was efficient to match. i think it’s much more worth your value to dine in store rather than ordering take away. thanksakaiitoteam!

🇯🇵 japanese feast (at home)
🏚: akaiito
📍: flinders lane
🛵: takeaway and delivery available!

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📝: craving for japanese food this lockdown? don’t worry,akaiitohas got home delivery ready for you. so you can just wait at home while they cook up delicious japanese food for you and deliver to door.

❤️: throwback to pre-lockdown dinner. loved the group dining deal they’ve got. check out their page for more info! so much food for such a good price. loved the optional truffle addition—made everything smell even more amazing 🤤.

the staffs are really nice. the food overall is good, nothing so special from other restaurant. the best dish that i love the most and might bring me back toakaiitois the toothfish! please order this one. its taste and texture are just perfect - actually gave me a wow.

treated like a rock star!
i've been dying forakaiitoto re-open and booked in early last night and loved it. with the stunning restaurant and friendly staff virtually to ourselves were treated to a fabulous new set course menu with 6 choices and all of them superb for $55 pp. i'm not sure how long they can serve that quality at those prices, so now is the time to get out on lockdown and in to this place to spoil yourself.

a hidden gem without restaurant signage except for a subtle projection onto the pavement. without a doubt the best japanese i’ve had in melbourne by a long stretch. every dish is exclusively presented with mouth watering fresh ingredients, balanced with poise and sophistication. you will not be disappointed but wowed by just how good the food is in plain terms. let’s not forget the setting of the restaurant - love! and don’t forget to check out the newly opened bar downstairs. oh and have a look at the private dining room. it has the most spectacular projection. do yourself a favour and putakaiitoon your list for your next treat with loved ones.

walk into a touch of elegance when you enter into akaiito, there is a different dining experience on every level. walk down to the red thread bar or walk up to a fine dining experience.

we dined in the red thread bar which is on the basement level and they focus on modern fusion japanese dishes. loved the decor and red thread display that was elegant and classy. there is a spacious dining area on the basement level along with a bar and vip area.

there was a good range on the menu and we decided to try a few different varieties on the menu. had the wagyu tartare, duck leg san choy bao,akaiitogyoza, wagyu fried rice, lotus chips, edamame.

really enjoyed the charred edamame and i highly recommend it. the wagyu tartare was presented well and it went well with the seaweed crackers to give that extra crunch. the wagyu fried rice was cooked well and there were chunks of wagyu slices. loved the idea of including pine nuts in the fried rice as it gives it a different texture.

for a sweet ending, we had the classic signature which was theakaiito- red thread of fate. i really enjoyed the dessert as the ingredients worked well together and there was a good balance of flavours. the strawberry mousse sphere was light and wasn't too sweet and it was balanced off with a dark chocolate ice cream. really enjoyed the dessert as it was light and it completed the meal.

we tried the cocktails and were impressed with the mix of flavours, the yuzu cocktail was very light and refreshing and it complements the dishes really well. the staff is friendly and attentive and that plays a key role in the overall experience.

was meant to have my valentines day dinner here with my partner however that turned out disastrous. reservation was at 8pm and we came 10 min early and told our table wasn’t ready. so we waited at the bar and ordered drinks. my partner ordered a cranberry chambord and i ordered a lycheeakaiitohowever it took 20minutes for the drinks to come and we even had to ask the waiter for an update on our drinks. only for the waiter to tell us our drink was sitting there for a while?? and only my lychee cocktail came. my partners drink never arrived and the waiter had to ask us multiple times what it was and if we wanted lemonade or soda?? he received chambord and lemonade in the end which is nowhere close to what he ordered. we waited ages for our drinks and my partners drink was made when i received my cocktail so we had to wait a bit more. when the reception girl came down to us she asked if i was ‘**’ which i replied no i’m *** in which she replied no i have a ‘**’ here and i told her that was not me and she walked off and talked to another waiter before she left to go back up. we had no update on our table and the waiter she talked to had to tell us it was another 10-15min. thanks to him if it wasn’t for him we would have continued to feel lost. it reached 8.30pm and i said nope this is ridiculous i shouldn’t have to wait 40+min for a table and still not be seated so i went back up and told the reception girl to cancel my reservation that i no longer wanted to dine in a restaurant that made me wait 40+min only to not be seated. overall i had to wait so long for a table i was never seated on. i will never come back here ever again and will tell everyone i know about how terrible the service is.i left with no valentines dinner. what a terrible day indeed.

overall
akaiito provides a mediocre and forgettable dining experience, with some standout dishes, such as the wagyu tartare andakaiitozensai, that features a sleek and romantic ambience with attentive and helpful wait staff. however, having ordered the 10 course tasting menu, our overall dining experience was marred by some truly atrocious courses (wagyu & chicken skewers) that were deficient in both texture and taste. many dishes also had similar flavour profiles, which resulted in an overall repetitive and monotonous experience across the menu.

service
the wait staff were very friendly, albeit slow to find us a table. they gladly assisted in stabilising our table, which was initially wobbly (ironically the table was propounded to be the ‘best table in the house’). they were very attentive in their table service and were prompt to clear our plates, refresh cutlery, top up water, etc. further, they ensured to place a candle on the final desert, as it was my partner’s birthday. one element that could be improved was that, when explaining each course, some wait staff were a bit hard to hear.

ambience
akaiito features a very modern and sleek open kitchen layout that provides a luxurious and romantic experience, which is perfect for date nights. the bathroom was also modern and well maintained. the music, however, could have been improved, as it was quite loud and bass-heavy, which was disruptive at times.

food
we ordered the tasting menu, which featured 10 courses. overall the dishes were quite hit-or-miss. while there were some dishes, such as the wagyu tartare (best dish in our opinion) andakaiitozensai, that are a must-try, there were others that were quite mediocre and forgettable, and even those that we would thoroughly not recommend ordering. these non-recommendations include the wagyu negi-ma (wagyu skewers), which were overcooked and chewy, as well as the tsukune (chicken skewers), which had the textured of a boiled meatball, tasting miraculously both undercooked and overcooked at the same time. we also noted that many dishes had similar flavour profiles, which resulted in an overall repetitive and monotonous experience across the menu. for example, the king george whiting tempura and the glacier 51 toothfish both had a very umami-rich flavour, and we noted that the chef used the same sauce to flavour both the wagyu & chicken skewers.

drinks
we ordered a cocktail and a mocktail, the japanese old fashioned ($28) and yuzu sunrise ($18) respectively. the pricing was quite expensive as compared to other, more high-end bars in melbourne; similar cocktails can be found in better bars for less, and the mocktail was severely overpriced for what was delivered.

the food atakaiitois hard to beat - and when you add value for money, it's unparalleled. i've eaten at some great japanese restaurants around the city, andakaiitoholds it's ground amongst them. the food was exceptional, there wasn't a single course that was a "miss", everything was on point.

the restaurant is fairly new, and with that comes some teething issues in the service department. even then, those issues are minor. the staff were very friendly and attentive, but bordering on being overly so, something that will probably self-adjust as time goes on and the restaurant inevitably gets busier.

i wouldn't be surprised to seeakaiitorise as one of the new hottest restaurants in town in the coming year.