akiba

had a great experience dining atakiba- the menu was exciting, the space had a funky atmosphere, and the service was friendly. we went on a sunday night, which meant if you bought a drink, you could get the left over lunch time yumcha dumplings for $1 each. we got the chicken yuzu deep fried dumpling. it was creative and delicious. our favourite dish of the night was the miso lemon sole which had my tastebuds singing - miso, lemon butter, sweet pickled green chilli and shimeji, salty fried capers. it was genius. the shirt rib was quite fatty, but the flavours and meat were very tasty. the spicy and gingery salmon firecaker was our next favourite, followed by peking duck soup dumpling. we finished the night off by tucking into the impressive japanese whiskey collection. if i lived in canberra, this would be my weekly hotspot. highly recommended!

my partner and i dined atakibaon a wednesday night and it was absolutely packed. we ordered the banquet which was delicious and excellent value at $45 per head. each dish was carefully considered and really flavorsome. however, the service was erratic and swayed between our main waitress carefully explaining dishes to us as she put them down to people slamming dishes down and running away. in terms of atmosphere, the decor, music and feel of the place was great and the bar selection was excellent. overall, we had a fantastic time - just don't go expecting super attentive service.

top food. top service.akibais one of my favourites.

we tried the detestation menu with chef's recommendations and all four of us are content. the menu starts with fresh raw salad type dish, then dumplings, bun, fried rice, vegetables, meat and desserts.

tofu cheesecake tastes much better than it sounds. very light texture, fluffy and decadent.

akiba is a standing favourite of mine, and i hadn’t been back for a while, so stopped in with friends for a long weekday lunch. we were seated in the nicely-heated outdoor area, and had plenty of time to peruse the menu before someone came to take our order. we started with the kimchi and angasi pancakes (serve of 4), which were topped with sriracha sauce and bonito flakes. whilst small, the pancakes packed a punch and whetted our appetites for the rest of the meal. next up was one of my favourites fromakiba– the fried chicken. hello mounds of deep-fried chicken goodness topped with a tonne of cheese! alone the chicken is

hmmmmmmmm well i have finally ticked this off the list, and was disappointed (not the experience i expected from a restaurant that gets great reviews and accolades) when i was there for a milestone birthday dinner last night.

we had 2 window stool on the other side of the logs (be warned in winter you will freeze sitting there as every time the door is opened the wind goes through the logs. not that i was clock watching but several other tables were seated after us and were served first, and had drinks etc before we were approached. this fits with the 'scattergun' comments in restaruant guides.

the food was good (even if the cutlery is very clunky and at awkward angles - use the cheap disposable chopsticks instead - much easier to use). though it would have been even better it was hot, let alone warm - as you can see from the attached bill we ordered 6 courses (we actually ordered 8 but the waiter had to come back and ask us what we ordered and then forgot 2 dishes).

interesting that we ordered japanese fried chicken and we got the supercharged one - not sure what the difference is (being petty i know as there was only a $2 difference but we did not order supercharged but that is what we got).

the s&p squid was tough, the beef bao was pleasant but nothing i have not seen at a bar at the opera house forecourt in sydney - though my partner thought it was going to be a traditional enclosed bun - not an open wrap. the kimchi pancakes were delicious by the kimchi was subtle (also interesting to see it spelt differently on the bill as to the menu - working with koreans and for a culinary/gastronomy business i am going with kimchi).

the real issue is that all the food was served within a few minutes - so the $33 kobe beef was cold when we got around to eat it. the photo of everything on the bar is with 1 plate removed by staff. there was no sense of staggering the delivery by floor staff or kitchen staff. i have the impressionism that this is really a bar with food, not a restaurant. at the very end one of the floor staff apologised for bringing it all out like they did - well really - why do it in the first place??. we could not push plates towards the windows to make room as there is a massive gap and things would have fallen - it has not been well thought in terms of people who order a lot - which is why i feel it is a bar that serves food, not a place for a dining experience.

i have continually recommend their venues in canberra to people visiting, butakibawill not be any more - i will recommend their other venues as this was a total disappointment for my birthday in being made to rush eating good food to avoid it getting cold because someone has no idea how to stagger the serving of an order.

travelling back home last year, we made an overnight stop in canberra and this was our first dinner there after a long day of driving. a modern, eclectic japanese fusion bar restaurant,akibadefinitely fits in with the new civic centre in canberra. i definitely don't remember canberra being this flashy last time i visited, albeit that was about 5 years ago.

i absolutely love akiba! it's one of my favourite restaurants and i highly recommend it to any one who asks me for restaurant suggestions. everything from the service, the vibe, the atmosphere, the drinks and of course the food are spot on. it gets really busy so if you can't book a table you might have to wait a little but but if there's just two of you and you have the option of eating at the bar then do it! it's so fun and you'll be amongst all the action. we also tried the jalapeño margaritas and wasabi vodka! they were so different but so good and there are heaps of other fun drinks to try. the sashimi and ceviche are delicious as is everything else on the menu. get dishes to share because it's a great way to try lots of food! they also offer a 'just feed me' menu and for only $45 you can try 8 of their favourite dishes. for the food you get it's so cheap but it can come out a little fast. don't eat before you go and ask them if they can space it out as much as possible. i'm always satisfied when i go toakibaand highly recommend it. a full review will be on the blog soon.

i went toakibawith a few friends for a late valentines supper. the cocktails are excellent especially the clover with tanqueray and raspberry. good atmosphere, sharing plates and solid customer service from all the staff.

the décor is appropriately captured in the bright sign depicting the lit cities of the world.akibais bright, colour and international, though with a distinctly asian twist. i can’t exactly call it subtle but it’s certainly effective and eye-catching. the open displays of fresh seafood, fish and produce also underlines the quality of their product and adds a sense of seaside freshness rarely found in inland canberra.

known more as a bar than a café i wasn’t expecting to be blown away by the coffee

yet again i have been blown away by this place. we went for the "feed me" option of 8 courses selected by the staff. outstanding!akibais now clearly in the lead as our favourite place to eat and to take visitors to canberra.

i've been wanting to go toakibafor quite some time based on my other people experiences, and has lived up to its expectations. the fusion of asian flavours within each dish was extraordinary and consistent. food came out of the kitchen really fast as well as being presented exquisitely. there were a lot of bold and new flavours that i have not tasted before which amazed me greatly. with akiba's bright, colourful atmosphere and a great selection of music, it will always be defined by its amazing food and ambience.

love it here! food is always perfect and atmosphere is great! staff are very attentive and always willing to make suggestions/ recommendations! have been toakibamany times and every meal is always of a high standard! my taste buds can't wait for our next visit!

akiba – if you haven’t been there yet, you don’t know what you’re missing out on, man. and i feel for you, i really do.

if you’re keen for a fun night out; just chilling at the one joint from dinner ’til dawn –akibais the place to go.

akiba, akiba!. it was love at first sight and then love at first bite!akibaobviously employed a great interior architecture or stylist before fitting the joint out. the pop-culture, comic-book styling and references absolutely kill it. juxtaposed against a timber cut-off wall and i had died and come to eye-ball happiness heaven. we argued over the menu (small bites, raw dishes, share plates and sides) for a while before deciding on something from each.

out first was the kingfish sashimi with sambal, coconut and coriander. no words can describe the absolute ambrosia of this dish. i wish i could eat it every day. no word of a lie. other standouts included the pork buns, braised beef, and chinese broccoli with penang. my colleagues also raved quite strongly about the tuna tartare, although i wasn't a fan. the only let down was the crispy soft shell buns which did not go down well.

wonderful service, the cocktail menu looks amazing, killer tunes and great ambience. can't wait to go back and try the 45pp 8 course tasting menu!

newcomer akiba is all about modern asian share dishes.  the space is modern and trendy, with plenty of outdoor seating; perfect for a sunny day lunch.  the dishes atakibaare best described as modern asian - the menu has a mix of flavours, inspired by japanese, chinese, korean, thai etc. it's a hard decision to choose what to have for lunch; everything on the menu sounds delicious. kimchi and angasi pancakes the pancakes were tasty, served with the spicy kick of sriracha and kewpie mayo. the angasi was barely discernible though.  beef short rib perfectly cooked short rib that just falls to pieces with a nudge of the fork. the flavours are lovely with the addition of tamarind caramel and thai basil.  yellowfin tuna served with organic japanese soy and wasabi panna cotta. good produce does not need much fancying up, and the tuna speaks for itself. the wasabi panna cotta is an interesting concept, though is quite mild and does not really add much in the flavour department.  cocktails - summer spritz and gaijin fizz the summer spritz was a refreshing blend of sake, bubbles, lychee and coconut - very easy to drink. my gaijin fizz included tanqueray gin, aloe vera, pandan and bananas; sounding great on paper, but this combination just did not work for me.  i left wishing i had room for more dishes and dessert as there were quite a few dishes i had my eye on - definitely will be back again!