Akachochin

Izakaya-style dining, Japanese tapas if you like, is dining for the times, and Akachochin's owner, restaurant entrepreneur Paul Mathis, has always been a la mode. So here it's about smaller sharing dishes, designed for drinking, but fun, too. Akachochin, in the newly opened South Wharf promenade warehouse strip, is large and airy. On a sunny day or balmy night especially, this simple, modern spot of clean lines and old timber, open to the Yarra, appeals for whiling away an afternoon or catching up before a show. The menu covers the raw, grilled, fried, steamed and braised. Though the precinct is still evolving and needs the buzz of an event to come alive, the fare is assured, with modern takes on Japanese bar specials from Nobu's former head chef. Japanese-style kingfish tartare with wafer-like rice crackers is a tangy delight, the sushi is deftly crafted, seared wagyu comes with crisp leeks and citrus miso, and grilled curried scallops with sea-urchin sauce simply wow.