Trust the Chef as Bourke Street's Nori Maki Is Serving Japan's Dangerously Delicious Fugu Maki Delicacy
Bite into Australia's cheapest-ever fugu maki, as this notorious pufferfish delicacy is prepared for one month only by a highly trained ex-Nobu chef.
With the return of the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival, there are more than a few delicacies to try around town. In the case of Nori Maki — Chef Keisuke Kita's (Nobu, Sushi Baby) Melbourne CBD omakase-style restaurant — the kitchen is plating the cheapest-ever fugu maki in Australia.
For those not in the know, fugu pufferfish is a Japanese delicacy notorious for its extreme toxicity. Fans of Charlie's Angels might remember Drew Barrymore's Dylan butting in about how one in 60 bites is poisonous. Perhaps a cinematic exaggeration, but it's true that pufferfish's tetrodotoxin is no bueno for your organs, eyes and skin.
Fortunately, the crew at Nori Maki are specially trained and licensed chefs to prepare pufferfish safely, so you can breathe a sigh of relief. After all, there's no antidote. But like all the best omakase-esque spots, trust between the chef and the guest is pivotal to the experience; though this time, you must trust more than their menu selections.
Available for $25 throughout March at Nori Maki's refined Bourke Street spot, this might be one of your only chances to sample this legendary Japanese specialty. Let's just hope you don't end up like Homer in The Simpsons, after a fan-fugu-tastic meal gone awry leaves him with 24 hours to live.
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Opened in late 2024, Nori Maki makes this life-or-death matter an intimate affair. With just 28 seats — most overlooking the kitchen — you'll have a front-row seat to the action. Combining traditional Japanese cuisine and culinary techniques with a little Californian and Melburnian inspiration, don't bother comparing these handrolls to your typical food court encounter.
As for Chef Kita, he brings impressive experience to the venue. Having cemented his reputation as the Head Sushi Chef at Nobu Melbourne, Kita also helped to launch Brighton's Sushi Baby. Yet his expertise comes from a deeper place. For over 180 years, Kita's family has been associated with the historic Shijoryu cooking tradition, with deep roots in Imperial Court cuisine.
Fugu maki is being served at Nori Maki, located at 7/235 Bourke St, Melbourne, until the end of March. Head to the website for more information.
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