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Drinks Directory|Non-alc Options|Melbourne|Killer cocktails

Yakimono

80 Collins Street, Melbourne, VIC, 3000
Phone
(03) 8616 7900
Website
yakimono.com.au
Instagram
@yakimono_au

Read time 4 Mins

Posted 31 Jul 2022

By
Michael Harden

Chris Lucas’s take on a Japanese izakaya is a brash, bustling, neon-lit fun time, combining a user-friendly menu with excellent drinks, great service and a party vibe.

Why you go Chris Lucas, the man who pioneered the idea of restaurant as nightclub in Melbourne with the phenomenally successful Chin Chin in Flinders Lane, has applied a similar strategy to Yakimono, his hopped-up, neon-drenched version of a Tokyo izakaya. This is not a venue for the faint of heart or hard of hearing. It’s loud and brash, with a high-volume, beats-oriented soundtrack, a menu that’s all about big flavours coming from a smoking, flaming kitchen in the middle of the room. From the moment you enter Yakimono, via a laneway that funnels you into the 80 Collins Street precinct (the same one that’s home to Lucas’s high-end Society restaurant), you’re doused in pink, blue, green and red neon, part of a jittery lighting design that seems to have been highly influenced by the Blade Runner films. It’s disorienting in a good way and a whole lot of fun, not least when the drinks list embraces strong, exuberant cocktails that work well with a menu that loves skewers, dumplings, raw fish and roast chicken. The cocktails sit alongside strong showings of local craft beer, easy-drinking wine and an excellent list of sake, Japan’s shochu liquor and Japanese whisky, making sure this is the kind of party everybody can enjoy.
Why you stayThe fact the Yakimono menu includes a whole roasted, miso-glazed chicken you can happily team with spicy coleslaw and ridiculously good fried rice shows this is a place designed to be enjoyed with friends. Scan the crowd any night of the week or during one of the busy weekend lunches and you’ll see that people have got the message. The many groups (and the crowd generally) skews young, their tables laden with cocktails and food to share, but there’s plenty here for couples and solo diners of any age. There’s a heap of seating around the central kitchen bar where you get the primo view of chefs in Yakimono-branded T-shirts meticulously plating up slices of raw fish or wrangling quality cuts of meat or skewers over smoking charcoal grills. It’s a fast-paced place and one where it would be easy for the service to be a little lax, but instead the young efficient and friendly team is one of Yakimono strengths, holding it all together so you can sit back and enjoy the flash and dazzle, knowing the sake you ordered is already on its way.
Food and cocktail served at Yakimono
delicious plate with wine served at Yakimono
What drink to orderThe drinks list here has been cleverly assembled with an eye on quality, easy drinking. It includes excellent and well-priced Australian wines, 10 or so Victorian craft beers on tap and a list of spirits of impressive quality. Given this is a restaurant that wants to be a nightclub (or vice versa), however, it would be remiss to ignore the cocktail list, especially when there has been so much care and thought put into the food-friendly house originals. Try the Harajuku, a refreshing mix of tequila, sake, lychee, ginger, vanilla, lime and smoked salt that’s a great example of the tasty, party-forward approach to the built drinks here.
What to pair it withAs with the décor, music and drinks, the default setting for the food here is loud. There’s plenty of good stuff delivering the big flavours, but where the kitchen really excels is with the skewers cooked over charcoal – perhaps soy-glazed wagyu rib fingers or the not-to-be-missed chicken tsukune meatballs accompanied by a lush egg-yolk sauce. The cultish mochi waffles, made with glutinous rice, are good, too, served with a sweetish yuzu crème fraîche and salmon roe.
Yakimono bar
Food and cocktail at Yakimono
Why we love itThere’s always something reassuring about being in a place that completely understands what it’s doing and does it really well. A boisterous place like Yakimono could very readily be irritatingly chaotic if it didn’t have all the details in place. But everything here is carefully considered – from the comfortable bar stools to the super-efficient exhaust system that means you get a nice whiff of charcoal smoke, but never leave the place with stinging eyes and smelly clothes.
Regular’s tipThe best seats in the house at Yakimono are at the bar. The bustle of the kitchen lends a feeling of being part of the action which, in a place like this, is exactly where you want to be. If you want the pace a little less frenetic but without being away from all the action, Yakimono’s semi-private dining space, Corner Room @ Yaki, seats 14 of your closest friends and will give you the whole experience but with a little more space and a little less bustle.
beautiful Interior of Yakimono
Enjoy delicilous food and cocktail at Yakimono
Don't leave withoutConsidering something from the Japanese drinks list. The sake range is worth a look and is compact enough to not be overwhelming, but it’s also a good idea to check out Japan’s shochu liquor and, particularly, the Japanese whisky that’s so well represented here.
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In partnership with Melbourne Food & Wine Festival
Authour image
Michael HardenAfter 25 years writing about wine and food, Michael Harden is getting the hang of it.
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Drinks DirectoryMelbourneNon-alc OptionsVego Food OptionsMelbourne – CBDKiller cocktailsBrilliant beer listGood for groupsCasual catch-upBarRestaurantParty vibes
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