Sake restaurant comes to Double Bay

It has been another bumper year for restaurant launches, and the stragglers of 2014 continue to swing open their doors. The 150-seat Sake Double Bay plates up its first tuna tataki today, the opening menu rich in the dishes talented chef Shaun Presland has made staples at the original Sake in The Rocks.

But there's a new twist courtesy of Martin Heierling, the group culinary director of the stable of restaurants that include Sake and Ananas. "The sushi and sashimi program is already prominent; we wanted to bring another dimension of authenticity with a charcoal robata grill," Heierling says.

Everything from Japanese eggplant to duck heart hatsu and chicken negima will hit the robata at the restaurant, which is under the new InterContinental hotel on Cross Street. Designer Melissa Collison has delivered a luxe fitout with more marble than a Greek temple. Heierling says the red hued marble was specifically chosen. "It looks like a tuna loin," he explains.