First Look: Atsu, a New Katsu Spot From an Ex-Kisume Chef, Takes Over Leonie Upstairs

A seat at the Atsu counter puts you right in front of chefs slicing sashimi and plating skewers. But behind the curtains that separate the dining room from the kitchen, the team brines, coats and fries the new Carlton restaurant’s signature item: katsu.

Wagyu katsu, chicken katsu, Otway pork tonkatsu and a changing veggie option are served over rice as part of donburi bowls. Each protein is brined and dried before hitting the fryer, with the crumb tweaked depending on the cut. “There’s no strict regional style, we just do it our way,” says co-owner Reki Reinantha. “The detail is making sure the panko suits the protein, so it’s balanced and never overpowering.”

In the evenings, you’ll also find skewers known as kushikatsu. The popular Osakan street snack typically sees meat, vegetables and cheese skewers coated in panko and fried. But here, Reinantha reimagines them. Atsu’s kushikatsu includes tsukune (chicken meatballs) with shiso, Wagyu topped with fresh wasabi, and menchi katsu (deep-fried meat patty) Scotch egg. “Kushikatsu in Japan is usually more about quantity,” Reinantha says. “We wanted ours to feel more considered, like every stick has its own moment.”

Atsu, Japanese for “heat”, has taken over the former Leonie Upstairs space. It began with a spontaneous conversation between Reinantha, a former Kisume head chef who ran his pop-up Sachi out of the space from April until July, and Leonie owner Kantaro Okada (279, Chiaki, Hareruya Pantry). “Kantaro and I were having coffee and thought it’d be fun to do something together around katsu and highballs. That was only about three months before we opened,” says Reinantha.

The highballs were developed with Sean Then of Cafe Tomi, who also ran the saké program at Leonie Upstairs and runs the saké menu consultation business Sakeyoubi. There are classic lemon highballs, as well as riffs including sour lemon, nigori lemon, strawberry, and a tomato and miso version that’s become the team’s favourite. “They’re refreshing and easy, exactly what you want with fried food,” says Reinantha. And each can be made non-alc, “so they drink more like a spritz”.

Sides are fresh but filling: shio kombu cabbage salad and potato salad are designed to complement the richness of the fried skewers. Kingfish tataki is already a customer favourite to start, and grilled mochi with kinako and black sugar syrup makes for a chewy and lightly charred dessert.

The atmosphere is casual but considered. Booth seating and tables on the side invite groups to linger. It’s a different rhythm to his restaurant Sachi, which opened this past weekend, but his attention to detail remains. “People are looking for more casual lunch spots where you can hang out as a group, eat really well and enjoy good drinks,” says Reinantha. “That’s exactly what Atsu is about.”

Atsu
Level 1/15-17 Lincoln Square South, Carlton
No phone

Hours:
Tue to Sat 11am–2.30pm; 5.30pm–9.30pm

@atsu.melb