Aki Modern Japanese - BATTERY POINT

This is a lovely Japanese restaurant with a real Japanese feel. The first time I ate there I thought I was back in Japan. The staff a excellent, as you would expect in a good Japanese restaurant. The food is interesting and very good. It is a place I enjoy going back to as often as I can.

The "modern" in the title probably reflects the fact that many of the dishes seem to have other Asian influences. That said, most of the dishes were tasty and well prepared, but somehow without being quite authentic. The prices were very reasonable and the food service was fine, but the drinks took some time and a second glass of wine arrived just as we finished eating. I suspect that the restaurant had minimal staff on duty. There is an excellent range of saki available complete with tasting notes for the uninitiated as well as beers and some wines. There were very few diners on the night we were there so the atmosphere was a bit too quiet. An attempt has been made at Japanese-style decoration, but it didn't really seem very Japanese. Street parking can be very hard to find which is a negative for restaurants in this part of Batter Point.

We went back for a dinner last week, lovely atmosphere, great Japanese decor.Beef tataki was standout. The well presented Miso Wagyu steak tasted slightly different, bit more marbling. The chewy and soft udon noodles were the best.They had a fantastic selection of sake, don't forget warm sake on a cold night.

Kingfish was not fresh enough for sashimi Grilled saba and chicken karage were too salty Tuna tataki tasted strange with raw sprouts Bathroom no toilet roll Kitchen poor housekeeping Won't recommend if you are a genuine Japanese food lover.

If you have been blessed with the experience of authentic (modern and traditional) Japanese food, Aki is NOT the place for you.