Haku Vodka Special Set Menu at Yugen Dining

Overview

We've got your next date night or celebratory dinner sorted with an exclusive nidaime omakase at South Yarra's Yugen Tea Bar, the upstairs floor of Yugen Dining. The limited-edition set menu is inspired by Haku Vodka, a craft spirit from the House of Suntory, and is available from Wednesday, August 21, until Sunday, September 15.

At a time when a cocktail costs upwards of $25, you can experience this luxe omakase for $150, which includes a feast of 12 courses and a specially crafted Haku Vodka martini.

Where's This Special Offer Available?

The special menu is being served in a moody tea bar, which can be found on the upper floor of an already dazzling Japanese restaurant.

Omakase, which means "leave it up to you," is one part theatre, one part culinary masterpiece and all parts delicious. The venue's Nidaime offering is a shorter version of the full omakase experience and will usually set you back $175. However, the Haku Vodka-inspired menu will get you in the door for less and includes a bespoke Haku martini.

What's on the Special Menu?

Crafted by Yugen's Sushi Chef, Misaki Manawa, and Exécutif Pastry Chef John Demetrios, the Nidaime set menu includes 12 courses of bite-sized intricately prepared delights. Starting off with a Sydney Rock oyster with ginger wafu dressing. Then, a tamago tofu with QLD Spanner crab sauce. Next up is freshly-sliced ocean trout sashimi with a Haku-infused yuzu jell, vinaigrette miso dressing and sprinkled with pickled shallots.

Following that, you will enjoy the nigiri course, which will vary depending on what was fresh at the market that day. Next, you will be served NZ snapper with chilli and grated daikon, then SA Kingfish topped with luxe Avruga caviar, followed by Hokkaido scallop with sudachi, sprinkled with Murray River pink salt and then scampi dressed with lime zest.

Following this myriad of delectable sushi and sashimi, you will be served seared Tasmanian ocean trout with sansho pepper for heat and mushroom paste for an earthy, umami flavour. This will be followed by tuna akami with wasabi onion salsa. Your last savoury dish is toro fatty tuna with chive.

For dessert, the executive pastry chef will serve a matcha dashi — it is a tea house, after all — paired with a bespoke dessert dish dubbed 'Flavours of Haku' inspired by the iconic spirit.

What's the Special Martini?

It wouldn't be a Haku Vodka-inspired menu without a next-level cocktail. The signature serve for Haku Vodka is a martini. To celebrate the collaboration with Haku Vodka, the venue manager and sake sommelier Calvin Chan has created a new martini to perfectly match the restaurant's sensibilities and the bespoke menu: The Haku Red Tea.

The martini's base is Yunnan black tea, which was made with Haku Vodka, which is then mixed with salt plum Umeboshi-infused sweet and dry vermouth and finished with a dash of tomato vinaigrette. Think sweet and savoury in one sip.

What's Haku Vodka?

Haku Vodka is a Japanese craft spirit made entirely from Japanese white rice. It boasts a soft, rounded and subtly sweet flavour profile. Named 'Haku', which translates to white' and brilliant' in Japanese, this vodka exemplifies the artistry involved in creating a clear, clean-tasting spirit. Filtered through bamboo charcoal, Haku Vodka serves as the ideal foundation for Yugen Dining's team to explore a symphony of flavours, textures, and aromas from the martini to the 12-course meal, concluding with the bespoke dessert.

How to Nab a Spot?

To sample this delectable menu at Yugen Dining, you must make a reservation on the website. The menu is only available from Wednesday, August 21, to Sunday, September 15. Each reservation includes the 12 courses plus a complimentary martini and will cost $150.

The Yugen Dining x Haku Vodka set menu is available from Wednesday, August 21, until Sunday, September 15. Make your reservation on the website.

Haku Vodka's signature drink is the Haku martini, which showcases the craftsmanship, nuanced flavour and exceptional quality of the premium Japanese liquid. To learn more, visit the House of Suntory website.

Image Credit: Jana Langhorst