The latest chapter for Little Collins Street omakase restaurant Rōnin takes Korea as its chief inspiration, but is broad enough in its interpretation of the brief to bring in elements of its chef’s childhood – and his time cooking Italian food.
Liam Lee, a Korean-born chef who is obsessed with Victorian produce and has spent the past few years working at Chapel Street Italian diner Studio Amaro, is leading the charge and bringing all of those things together at the counter. On the day it might see him lacing beef tartare with gochujang, ladling up elegant broths all about abalone, or warming bowls of guksu, the Korean wheat-flour noodle soup, bathed here in a Euro-leaning bisque.
“My cooking style is built on the traditional flavours I remember from my childhood, and from my early years working in Korea,” Lee says. “I try to follow those memories while respecting Australian-grown ingredients and local suppliers, refining them into a modern style of plating.”
And while there are plenty of contemporary spins on the traditions of Korean cuisine going on here, Lee isn’t messing with the concept behind banchan, which, for the uninitiated, is the bounty of delicious little sides served at the Korean table. Lee is already at work pickling, preserving and fermenting his own in-house, with most of the ingredients coming from a private farm growing Korean vegetables here in Melbourne.
Cocktails are the name of the game when it comes to drinks at Rōnin. The backbar is mostly filled with imported Korean whisky and sake to make them, while favi, a Korean-style vinegar made of seasonal fruit, is supplied by Lee’s friends over at Gamja Hotteok, and is set to feature as a mainstay across the drinks menu.
Lee has plans to extend the bar for a more casual snack-and-drink service in the coming months. For now, book in for lunch Monday through Friday or the omakase experience Thursday through Saturday.
Rōnin, 445 Little Collins St, Melbourne, open for lunch Mon-Fri, dinner Thurs-Sat, roninomakase.com, @ronin_omakase