What does quality vodka and high-end sushi have in common? A humble, but high end grain.
Rice is the backbone of Japanese cuisine, and there’s no other way to say that. Every culture on earth has a basic grain that forms the backbone of its food, but not every culture goes through as much effort in refining that grain, unlike Japanese Hakumai.
Hakumai takes the humble grain of rice and elevates it to a whole new level, and the point of difference comes from a bit of elbow grease. Hakumai is polished white rice. That simple age adds more than just shine, it makes the rice easier to digest than the alternative (genmai) and brings out a mild, subtle sweetness in flavour.
The practice isn’t limited to rice for kitchens either. Haku Vodka is a Japanese spirit made entirely from white rice. Inspired by the art of hakumai, the vodka uses traditional Japanese fermentation and distillation methods in Kyushu to preserve the rice’s sweet and subtle flavours in the final product.
To celebrate the practice and promote the purity of that flavour, Haku will be serving a limited-edition Hakumai Martini and paired rice dishes across select Sydney and Melbourne venues.
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RestaurantYugen Dining
605 Chapel Street, South Yarra
Chapel Street's sumptuous subterranean Japanese diner and bar has a flair for the dramatic.
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BarHoly Grail
67 Chapel Street, Windsor
All aboard for late-night lounging and cocktails in this Chapel Street flagship.
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BarLetra House
344 Kent Street, Sydney
The Spanish lovechild of the Love Tilly Group, this hidden bar dishes out small plates with big flavours.
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BarThe Blacksmith Bar
69 Swan Street, Richmond
Check your leather apron and tools at the door — this Richmond bar pours drinks, not molten steel.
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BarLe Bar Supper Club
12 North Concourse, Beaumaris
Raise a crystal glass to French food, fancy drinks and burlesque shows in this Beaumaris bar.
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RestaurantIsland Radio
Baptist Street, Redfern
A dazzling fitout, an affordable bar menu and a killer location make this Southeast Asian hawker-inspired diner a colourful newcomer to Surry Hills' dining scene.
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RestaurantPrefecture 48
230 Sussex Street, Sydney
This Sussex Street hospitality hub explores the culinary and cultural riches of Japan from every angle.
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RestaurantKushiro
175 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy
The Hong Kong fine-diner Kushiro landed in Melbourne, but in a less-formal, izakaya-style setting.
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BarToko Restaurant
275 George Street, Sydney
A go-to for great Japanese food in Sydney is now in a sleek new subterranean home on George Street with much to love.
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BarIcebergs Dining Room and Bar
1 Notts Avenue, Bondi Beach
Waterside food and views worth a million bucks.
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BarThe Roosevelt
32 Orwell Street, Potts Point
A refined NYC-inspired bar sending you back to the 1950s with champagne, plenty of cocktails and oysters.
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RestaurantMoku
163 Crown Street, Darlinghurst
This elegant Darlinghurst joint serves up fusion Japanese cuisine with omakase-style eats and a bottomless highball brunch.
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BarLa La Land
Level 1, 125 Hardware Street, Melbourne
This CBD oasis is just like your living room — but with more cocktails and Chesterfields.
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BarThe Ugly Duckling
238 Swan Street, Cremorne
Don’t let the name fool you – this Richmond wine bar is no ugly duckling.
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