AKIBA: the first taste of Canberra’s newest restaurant

Posted on 7 December, 2014

As you may have heard, AKIBA will shortly be opening its doors to the public. But thanks to a heads up from HerCanberra founder Amanda Whitley, I discovered that AKIBA would be letting in some lucky guinea pigs on Saturday night to check the place out and try the food for free before it opens proper.

The catch was that you had to be one of the first 100 when they opened the doors at 6pm. I arrived at about 5.40pm to find fellow food bloggers The Food Avenue and Tales of a Confectionist second in line (they’d gotten there at 5pm). After a quick chat, I took my place in the queue and waited for my friends to arrive. This gave me a bit of time to peer through the window and admire the fitout.

There’s a big open kitchen next to a long bar. I really liked the jars of spices lined above the shelves of liquor, the colourful light decorations on the walls, the light fittings themselves, and the kawaii (Japanese for ‘cute’) little fox-like mascot.

Seating ranges from tables of four along the window and in booths inside, to long tables in the middle. My friends and I were seated at the end of one of the long tables. Our waitress (who was great, I need to say) gave us the sample menu for the night and explained the process: food (up to six dishes) would be free, drinks would have to be paid for, and they’d be looking for feedback to help them figure out what the final menu should look like.

My friends and I decided to try a range of dishes, including dumplings, pancakes, bao, meat, and sashimi. A favourite for all of us was the beef short rib, which was tender, rich and served with a sweet caramelised sauce.

We all also liked the kingfish sashimi, which was as pretty to look at as it was delicious, and a good combination of textures and tastes.

We had different favourites amongst the other dishes we tried, and I’ll be interested to see what ends up on the final menu and in what form (if the short rib and kingfish are on it, I’ll be happy). Pictures of some of the other dishes we had are below. I should mention that the plates and bowls at AKIBA, like the ones at Sage, were made by local potter Chris Harford. My friend, who’s a student at the Canberra Potters’ Society, had fun examining his work and figuring out what clays and glazes he’d used.

While the food menu is still being refined, the drinks menu is set. We thought the names of some of the drinks were really entertaining, including the Snaquiri (a Daquiri snack), the Fukushima Zombie, and the Snap, Crackle and Pop Punch. My friend started off with a Summer Spritz, which was sake with lychee and coconut and, true to its name, was light and refreshing, perfect for a summer’s day.

Her partner and I opted to try Akipops, which are fruity drinks with a bit of fizz. I went for the strawberry and mint one, and he chose a pineapple and coconut one, with the addition of dark rum to make it ‘BOOM’, as the menu said. Both of these were great.

These were followed by a Snaquiri, which was really cute and again another drink perfect for the warmer weather, and a grapefruit and orange Akipop with tequila.

The atmosphere in AKIBA was great. The music was good, and hit the right balance between being loud enough to create an ambience but not so loud that you couldn’t have a conversation. The staff were friendly and attentive, and happy to answer the questions we asked them. We were also told that there will be an outdoor seating area, which my friends and I thought would be perfect for enjoying their refreshing drinks on hot days.

Based on our experience, AKIBA’s on the right track for its official opening, and I’m looking forward to seeing what’s on the final menu and lovely summer drinks sessions with friends.

The essentials
What: AKIBA
Where: 40 Bunda Street, Canberra
When: Open with ‘training wheels’ now, official opening 19 December
Contact: Visit their website or Facebook page