Now Open: Yakikami Is a Fiery, Flashy New Japanese Barbeque Restaurant for South Yarra

In South Yarra, Yakikami is a sophisticated new Japanese barbeque restaurant from the team behind Melbourne’s Wagyu Ya and Niku Ou.

“After a decade of successfully running two yakiniku [Japanese barbeque] restaurants, we were led to seriously consider what was missing in the Victorian dining scene,” co-owner Roy Yu tells Broadsheet.

The answer? A lavish dining experience focused on high-grade Kobe beef, sizzled over red-hot charcoal josper grills. But there are also yakitori tables dedicated to the succulent chicken skewers, made with Sommerlad chicken from Adelaide. (Also a standout is the nine-hour chicken-bone ramen; it’s hearty but lighter than expected.)

Or you can push the boat out with a high-end omakase experience in the private dining room. At $285 a head, it features 15-plus dishes curated by head chef Hirokazu Sasaki, including A5 Wagyu tartare topped with smoked black caviar and plenty of Kobe beef. It’s served alongside a selection of micro-brewed sakes imported from Japan.

Essentially, Yu says, “We’re a Japanese degustation restaurant specialis[ing] in Wagyu omakase.”

Your experience will differ based on where you sit in the dark-walled space with dramatic gold and marble finishes. You can get a front-row seat to all the action by perching at the luxe bar, or there are plush semi-private booths in dimly lit surrounds.

Yakikami
150–152 Toorak Road, South Yarra
(03) 9989 9312

Hours:
Wed to Sun 12pm–3pm, 5.30pm–10.30pm

yakikami.com.au