akaiito

we came here for my birthday last year before the pandemic struck. we ordered the tasting menu and were presented with a series of tasty dishes, with a few of my favourites being the sashimi platter, wagyu tartare, edamame and the chicken. the dessert also added a lovely finishing touch to the whole meal. the food came out quickly so we didn't have to wait betweendisheshowever the waitress seemed to linger around our table (and sometimes would even stare at us while we ate) due to the quiet restaurant (there was only one other table besides us). while i understand that it may be considered good service, it was a little uncomfortable. i recommended my friend to come here for valentine's day this year, however, was disappointed to see that the menu had changed drastically, with the new serving sizes decreasing to half of what is shown in my photos, despite no change in price.

what a great find akaiito proved to be. newly opened we experienced great service and delicious food. we had a few hiccups with the order ourdisheswere 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 trydishesi 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 from akaiito ! will back here a gain soon . ❤️

the food was not fresh at all. thedishesall looked beautiful but the stale seafood left a nasty aftertaste (literally). at the time of booking i was told they cater to pescatarian dietary requirements but all they did was swap the beef with salmon. the accompanied red wine sauce and mushroom did not go well with the salmon at all. you would expect a fine dining restaurant to change the whole dish and not just one ingredient, after all the food is not cheap. further they swapped a marron dish on the menu with bread and did not inform us until we enquired!!! very very disappointing, would not recommend at all.

great service, we could tell the girls cared very much about our experience. food was top notch we ordered the 12 course set menu.

only problem was despite being first in line and seated 2nd, ourdishescame 10 mins later than the 2 neighbouring customers who ordered the same thing which made the sitting a whole long 2 hours.

this does not deserve the high rating it has. the staff were not trained and did not provide the correct utensils for our food. the bathroom floor was sticky and there was minimal lighting. the fish was not fresh and overall thedisheswere extremely over priced.

the best dining experience! such a beautiful space with amazing staff. reviews suggest the portions were small, although not wrong, i still really enjoyed my meal and left extremely content. having tried so many places, this is one of my favourites alongside nobu. standoutdishesincluded the wagyu tartare: melted in my mouth before i had a chance to chew. the uni gunkan: my first time trying sea urchin and was blown away by the smoothness and flavour. and the robata toothfish: the softest fish with the crunchiest skin. presentation on everything was impeccable. must visit! honorary mention to the salmon roe macaroon and the pumpkin tart, so unique and tasty. only downside was the baby sweet corn, i laughed when i saw it.

underground bar.
we came here on a sunday night during a long weekend after seeing it on many ig posts. the underground bar has a nice ambience. however upon entry we can tell the lack of staff as no one actually help you to get to your table. we ordered the sentaku set menu. the food itself was okay, thr highlight probably the king fish and the lamb ribs. the rest were pretty average.
the service however, was really poor for what you're paying for. the staff look clueless and very unresponsinve. our drinks took 15 minutes to arrive. the food took even longer and one of our entree arrived very last, after all the largedishesand we have to ask for it multiple times. don't think we'll be back.

second time here last night but was dining downstairs at the bar area. had really high expectations as i dined upstairs last month and food was amazing, and the dining experience was 11/10.

however last night, a group of 6 chose the $55pp feed me menu and we were there for around 3 hours because the food came out slow and very underwhelming. we waited 30-40min intervals betweendisheswhich were tapas style, with one dish simply being steamed broccoli and bonito flakes. my partner went up to the bar to ask for tap water, where the bartender said he would bring to our table, only for him to forget and my partner to ask a second time. we never got our water through the whole night. we also complained about the wait and asked them politely to get all our food out as we had another reservation at a bar.

birthday girl complained to the bar staff at the end of the night and he did not seem apologetic whatsoever and just blamed the lack of staff. if deciding to dine here, choose upstairs only and downstairs for strictly drinks only.

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
🥟 akaiito wagyu 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 chickendishesin 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.

the staff were friendly and professional. the ambience was beautiful and the open kitchen was great. the food was incredible and i will definitely be returning again. we ordered the sentaku menu and also added several otherdishesto our dining experience.

cannot emphasise enough how amazing the food was. everything was absolutely delicious and great portion sizes for people that typically don’t eat tons of food. however, the service was quite poor. staff weren’t very knowledgable or polite and service was extremely slow (firstdishesserved after 45mins of waiting and took 30 minutes for them to bring out a pre-made chocolate cake). after 30 minutes of waiting, we asked to cancel dessert and the waiter simple said “just give me 5 minutes” so we weren’t able to cancel. another waiter asked if we wanted to try the toro, without stating the price and when we were thinking about it, he starting getting very curt with us trying to bully us into accepting, which we did because we didn’t know how to say no to him. probably would go again for the food but will be expecting crappy service.

firstly, the interior is amazing! a+ for the ambience: from the dimly lit room with candles everywhere, red ribbon over looking some tables to the grill in the centre of the room, you can watch the talented chefs cook while you eat (resulting in drool even more🤤)

we ordered the $55 pp 6 dish menu + added an extra large dish (+$12 pp) and a mocktail each! (+$12 pp)
what we got:
🍣 wagyu steak 36 days dry aged: 250gm fillet mb6+, wafu dipping sauce
🍣 robata scallops: yuzu, seaweed butter
🍣 tuna tataki: spicy daikon, ponzu, pickle onion
🍣 robata king ebi: ling prawn, kombu butter, shellfish oil
🍣 robata gindara saikyo yaki: char grilled miso marinated 51 tooth fish, pickled ginger, lime
🍣 truffle fried rice: seasonal mushrooms, truffle paste, spring onion, white soy
🍣 maki roll
🍹fruity mocktail
🍹sweet mocktail

i absolutely can not fault the food! my favourite was the tooth fish (hands down the best piece of fish i’ve ever eaten) and my boyfriends was the wagyu. we also recommend the scallops and the ebi but honestly i loved all the dishes- not one dish i didn’t like - everything was beautifully cooked and flavoured to perfection, and the presentation is stunning.

however, the servings aren’t really generous (was tiny 😭) so i wouldnt come on an empty stomach. our hunger was not satisfied after all thedishesand even went to maccas haha (shoutout to maccas $2 for 2 hash browns deal on the app that day) i also wasn’t a bit fan of the mock tails too, tasted a bit watery and diluted... but maybe from the ice melting after all the photos? idk 🤷‍♀️

overall the food here is amazingg, ambience is one of the best out there and i would definitely recommend this place! (provided you’re not starving beforehand)

i opted for the sentaku set menu as it sounded very appealing. it was 55pp and the set consisted of 6dishesin total (3 small and 3 large dishes).

when thedishescame out, i was disappointed as the portions were smaller than expected. i thought ordering another dish on top of the course would help but i was still unsatisfied with the meal. i actually had to go to another restaurant afterwards as i wasn’t full.

⭐️ 4/5 stars

🍓 food - we got $65 set menu for 3 smalldishesand 3 largedishesand 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 at akaiito was 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.