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01/10/2026
Yakiniku sauce is a Japanese barbecue sauce made with soy, sake, mirin and aromatics, giving it a savoury, slightly sweet flavour.
It’s a perfect match for wagyu, including our 200g Lockyer Valley Wagyu Striploin, where the sauce balances the richness of the marbled beef.
Make it an umami kind of night. Reserve your table via link in bio.
30/09/2026
The sake temperature scale
Sake can be served anywhere from 5°C to 55°C, with Japanese terminology marking each step along the way.
Yuki-hie is chilled to 5°C, bringing sake’s velvety texture and acidity forward. Hitohada-kan sits close to body temperature at 35°C, while atsu-kan reaches 50°C, broadening the sake on the palate and enhancing its umami.
The same sake changes as it moves through that range. Chilling restrains the aroma and tightens the palate, while warming brings forward its body, sweetness and umami.
Reserve your table via link in bio.
29/09/2026
Irasshaimase means welcome
Walk into Saké and you’ll hear ‘irasshaimase’ from the people who greet you.
It is a polite service welcome, roughly meaning “welcome” or “please come in”. No reply is expected, although a nod is more than enough.
From there, the team shows you to your table, brings the menu and takes care of the first pour.
Reserve your table via link in bio and let Saké welcome you with an irasshaimase.
24/09/2026
Yuzu sake
A natural hybrid of mandarin and Ichang papeda, yuzu is highly acidic, so it is rarely eaten whole. Instead, its peel and juice are valued for a fragrance that combines grapefruit, mandarin and floral notes.
Blended with sake, it sits between the freshness of a citrus liqueur and the savoury character of nihonshu.
Reserve your table and ask for a pour of yuzu sake via link in bio.
23/09/2026
Miss Wednesday
Miss Wednesday is Saké’s take on a lychee caipiroska, replacing vodka with Japanese shochu.
Rose, lychee, vanilla and fresh lime are shaken with the shochu and poured over ice. The rose and lychee give the cocktail its floral character, while the lime brings clean acidity to the finish.
Shochu provides a softer spirit base than vodka, allowing the fruit and florals to remain distinct.
Reserve your table and ask the bar for Miss Wednesday via link in bio.
22/09/2026
Miso Soup and Edamame
There is a time-honoured way to start any Japanese meal: miso soup and edamame to share.
The soup gives everyone their own first course, while the salted edamame passes around the table and is eaten from the pod with your fingers. Together, they establish the balance between individual and shared dishes that carries through the meal.
Reserve your table and open the meal with miso soup and edamame via link in bio.
17/09/2026
The Dragon Egg
The Dragon Egg is Saké’s chocolate-shell dessert, made by hand over several days in small daily batches and presented whole at the table.
Hot miso caramel is poured over the shell, opening it to reveal coconut cream, nuts and seasonal fruit beneath. Miso gives the caramel salt and fermented depth, balancing its sweetness.
Watch it open at the table. Reserve via link in bio.
16/09/2026
Torizara:
Plates made for sharing
At Saké, the menu is designed to be shared, with dishes placed in the centre and a small plate set for every guest.
In Japanese, that individual plate is called a torizara. Each person transfers what they would like onto their own plate using the serving chopsticks that remain with the shared dish.
It allows everyone to share the same order while choosing their own portions and pace.
Gather your company and order for the table. Reserve via link in bio.
15/09/2026
Miso soup made daily
Miso soup has a familiar place at the Japanese table, bringing warmth and savoury depth to the meal.
At Saké, ours is prepared fresh in the kitchen every day and served as the opening course. Settle in, take the first spoonful and let the meal unfold from there.
Reserve your table via link in bio.
10/09/2026
Hiramasa Kingfish
Sliced to order
Ask what to order first at the Saké counter and the answer has remained the same since opening: hiramasa kingfish.
Each order is sliced fresh, then finished simply with ponzu, lime and jalapeño. Together, they let the texture and flavour of the fresh fish speak for itself.
See why it remains the counter favourite. Reserve your table via link in bio.
09/09/2026
Molten Valrhona Chocolate Fondant
Saké’s chocolate fondant pairs Valrhona chocolate with chocolate soil and vanilla ice cream, finished with Suntory wh**ky at the table.
Cut through the sponge and the chocolatey centre oozes onto the plate, the defining detail of a dessert first created by French chef Michel Bras in 1981.
Alongside it, Heiwa Shuzo ‘Furu-Tsuru-Ume’ 10-year-old umeshu brings notes of dried fruit and caramel to the chocolate.
Save your final course for the fondant. Reserve your table via link in bio.
08/09/2026
Cocktail
Pink Blossom
A longstanding Saké favourite, the Pink Blossom brings Choya umeshu together with fresh strawberry, cranberry, passionfruit and lime. Sweet, tart and unmistakably pink, it has remained our most frequently requested cocktail for years.
You already know what to ask for. Reserve your table via link in bio.
03/09/2026
Umeshu
Often translated as plum, ume is closer to an apricot: fragrant, intensely tart and rarely eaten straight from the tree.
To make umeshu, unripe ume is layered with sugar, covered in spirit and left to steep for at least six months. Time softens its sharp acidity into something sweet, aromatic and gently sour.
At Saké, enjoy it over ice, lengthened into a spritz or served with hot water on a cold day.
Meet us over an umeshu. Reserve via link in bio.
02/09/2026
The Bonsai Room
Beyond the main dining room sits Bonsai, a dedicated space for bringing your guests together privately.
The experience remains distinctly Saké, with set menus chosen for the table, sake selected to accompany them and service centred entirely around your occasion.
Plan your next private dinner in Bonsai. Enquire via link in bio.
01/09/2026
New this season: nasu dengaku
Thick-cut eggplant, grilled slowly until the centre is soft and silky. It is coated in sweetened miso, then returned to the heat until the glaze bubbles, blisters and catches at the edges.
Nasu means eggplant. Dengaku takes its name from a Heian-period dance: skewered tofu cooking over coals was thought to resemble performers balancing on stilts.
Add our take on eggplant to your next order. Reserve your table via link in bio.
27/08/2026
Father’s Day at Saké Restaurant & Bar.
Gather around the table on Sunday, September 6th for contemporary Japanese dining, from Chef’s selection sashimi to teriyaki lamb chops and popcorn shrimp with yuzu and chilli mayonnaise.
Pair it with sake or cocktails and settle in for Father’s Day.
Bookings via link in bio.
26/08/2026
Share a drink at Saké
Order sake by the glass and it arrives in a tulip-shaped glass, designed to hold its aroma.
Order a carafe and a handcrafted tokkuri arrives with a tray of ochoko cups. Choose the one that catches your eye, then pour for each other.
Share a drink, and the evening, at Saké. Reserve via link in bio.
25/08/2026
The Saké Classics, shared
Begin with nori crisps and hiramasa kingfish, followed by shumai and popcorn shrimp, salmon yaki, then Riverine beef short rib MB2+ with house salad. Pavlova closes the evening.
Matching sake is available for each course to pour for one another throughout the evening.
Book it via link in bio.
20/08/2026
Yukari salt
Yukari salt gets its deep-purple colour from red shiso leaves, cured with salt and plum vinegar before being dried and crushed.
In Japan, yukari is traditionally sprinkled over rice or folded through onigiri. It is salty, tart and intensely herbal, with notes that sit somewhere between basil, mint and anise.
At Saké, we use it to rim the Hattori Hanzo, bringing a savoury edge to yuzu, cucumber, elderflower and jalapeño.
Try the Hattori Hanzo at Saké. Reserve your table via link in bio.
19/08/2026
Our Osaka-inspired Hattori Hanzo brings together Bombay Sapphire gin, yuzushu, elderflower, cucumber and jalapeño, finished with a savoury yukari rim.
Named after the legendary Sengoku-era samurai, it is clean, focused and carrying just enough heat beneath the surface.
Order it alongside sushi and sashimi. Reserve via link in bio.
18/08/2026
A table for two at Saké.
Come celebrate Qixi Festival at Saké over contemporary Japanese dining and sake shared with someone special.
Fill their cup before your own, and let them return the gesture—a simple ritual for an evening made for two.
Join us Wednesday 19 August. Reserve your table via link in bio.
13/08/2026
The best seat in the house
The best seat in the house for lunchtime ramen is at Saké.
Broth ladled within arm’s reach. Noodles timed in front of you. Every topping placed before the bowl passes straight from chef to guest.
Ramen Counter, 12–3pm daily at Saké, The Rocks.
12/08/2026
“One of the best places in Sydney to drink sake”
In its newly updated guide to Saké The Rocks, Broadsheet finds a menu that “balances washoku with modern elements”.
There are nori crisps topped with tuna and kingfish, Cape Grim short rib, and Glacier 51 toothfish wrapped in banana leaf. Alongside them: more than 40 varieties of sake, umeshu and seafood-friendly wines.
It’s a lot to choose from, but as Broadsheet notes, our “attentive staff are never far away”. Tell them what you enjoy and let them guide the next pour.
Read the full review at Broadsheet Sydney, then take your place at the bar or traditional sunken table.
Reserve via link in bio.
07/07/2020
Saké Restaurant and Bar Hamer Hall is temporarily closed in line with Government regulations. We apologise for any inconvenience, we will announce a reopening date ASAP. Sending safe wishes to all of our team and guests in Victoria.
Address
Southbank Promenade, Hamer Hall, Southbank, Victoria, Australia
Melbourne, VIC
3006
To get to the Japanese restaurant located on St Kilda Road, Melbourne via public transportation, you can take any tram that runs along St Kilda Road and get off at the stop nearest to Hamer Hall. For those driving or taking a taxi, there are various parking options available in the area including street parking as well as several nearby car parks such as The Arts Centre Car Park and the Wilson Parking lot on Sturt Street.
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What people say
Japanese restaurants are known for their exquisite cuisine and attention to detail. Saké Restaurant & Bar Hamer Hall in Melbourne is no exception. This award-winning Japanese restaurant offers contemporary Japanese cuisine that will leave your taste buds wanting more.
One of the highlights of Saké Restaurant & Bar Hamer Hall is their collaboration with Chef Yuya Nishimura from Michelin-starred Sushi Yuuden in Osaka. This special event offers intimate dinners that showcase the best of Japanese cuisine. Guests can enjoy a sneak peek of what's in store on social media, and even snag a last-minute reservation if they're lucky.
Another standout feature of Saké Restaurant & Bar Hamer Hall is their robata grill. This ancient method of cooking over an open flame results in a smoky, charred flavor that's truly unique. Guests can indulge in king brown mushroom skewers, chicken wing skewers, and other delicious dishes straight from the flame.
Overall, Saké Restaurant & Bar Hamer Hall is a must-visit for anyone looking to experience the best of Japanese cuisine in Melbourne. With its exquisite dishes and attention to detail, this restaurant is sure to impress even the most discerning foodies.
