Saké Flinders Lane
121 Flinders Lane, Melbourne
www.sakerestaurant.com.au
Melbourne’s Flinders Lane has now added some new digs to its line-up with the opening of Saké Flinders Lane in late May. Brought to you by the Urban Purveyor Group (Fratelli Fresh, Café Sopra, EL Camino Cantina, Ananas Bar & Brasserie, and Saké, Saké Jr. and Saké Live, among others) this restaurant and bar brings a twist on Japanese cuisine (from a 3 Michelin-star chef) and a bar celebrating all things great about Japanese alcohol; umeshu, sake, whisky, shochu and Japanese beer.
Executive Chef Jean Paul Lourdes has created a menu that pays homage to the Saké family but reflects his signature style. The menu celebrates locally-sourced produce, including artisan cheeses and heritage bred chicken and pork. The Yakitori (brined and slow cooked for a combined 24 hours) is a hit with late-night diners who can chow down until 2am.
The drinks menu features an extensive range of Japanese craft beers, including those from Coedo, Niigata and Hitachino, and an impressive range of umeshu, sake and Japanese whisky. Seasonal cocktails give the talented bar team the chance to experiment.
The cocktail list includes a shiitake-infused Hakushu single malt cocktail; a cheesecake martini combining Appleton VX Jamaican rum, yuzu juice, mascarpone and blueberries; and a smoky BBQ version of a Bloody Mary.
The downstairs bar features a spectacular shochu library of 80 urns each containing 1.9 litres of shochu – Japan’s traditional distilled spirit. Customers can buy urns and access their personal shochu collection from the library each time they visit.