Now Open: With a 10-Seat Sushi Bar, Asoko Is a New Neighbourhood Omakase Gem for Port Melbourne

Omakase is having a moment in Melbourne. Recent openings like Yugen, Warabi and Yakikami are introducing more Melburnians to the intimate, Japanese chef’s-selection experiences. But they can be exxy and so, saved for special occasions.

Sandwiched between a drycleaner and a pharmacy in Port Melbourne, Asoko – an unassuming new sushi bar helmed by chef Martin Kim – is offering something a little different. “Other omakase restaurants are selling a brand,” he says. “If you dine at [some], you get status by doing so. I can’t give you that. So, how can I compete with them? I want to be a hidden gem in a local neighbourhood, offering friendly, intimate service at a lower price. But still with top-quality food.”

Kim gained his sushi skills in his native South Korea before briefly moving to Sydney, then Melbourne, where he worked at Koko at Crown for many years.

For Kim, being a sushi chef is a journey. “I am still learning,” he says. “If you think about coffee – you need a good barista, a good bean and a good machine. If you are missing one factor, you can’t make a good coffee. It’s the same with good sushi … but the most important is the rice.”

Pull up at the Bay Street eatery’s 10-seat timber bar (which Kim custom-built) to sample his skill. The omakase experience starts with various zensai, or Japanese appetisers. The sashimi course is different every day, with Kim’s good relationship with his fish supplier affording seasonal variety. Misoyaki follows – the fish of the day marinated in sweet miso. Then Kim deftly slices up 12 different nigiri right in front of you, to be dipped in a soy sauce he makes from scratch. Dessert might be crème brûlée.

Asoko also offers a tight list of sake and plum wines, as well as whisky by Asaka, the only whisky-producing distillery in the volcanic Tohoku region of Japan.

Asoko
321 Bay Street, Port Melbourne

Hours:
Tue to Sat 6pm–8pm

asokosushibar.com