Review: Akiba

Travelling back home last year, we made an overnight stop in Canberra and this was our first dinner there after a long day of driving. A modern, eclectic Japanese fusion bar restaurant, Akiba definitely fits in with the new Civic centre in Canberra. I definitely don't remember Canberra being this flashy last time I visited, albeit that was about 5 years ago.

Tokubetsu oysters w/ ume mignonette - $12
Lovely japanese flavours and fresh, succelent oysters. Really sour
mignonette that packed a punch.

Japanese fried chicken w/ lemon braised onions and parmesan - $18
I like having well balanced meals, and it would've been great to have a mixture
of vegetables on this plate considering their vegetarian mains are limited.
That being said the chicken was fried beautiful. The parmesan added
another level of flavour to the dish, as did the braised onions. The braise
would've also complimented Asian greens and mushrooms which
they could've added, as onion isn't something most people eat on it's own.
The supercharge sauce is not worth $2. They should just offer it with the dish
considering it just tasted like hot sauce. and definitely wasn't house made.

Smoky potato w/ dill, black garlic, mayo - $9
I loved the sauce in this dish. It was a tab bit too salty, but great depth
of flavour, complimented by the fresh dill. The potatoes were soft
and pillowy, and I like that they left the skin on.

Beef short rib w/ tamarind caramel, thai basil - $22
Not really a share size dish, but still quite reasonable for the price.
Again very one dimensional dish, with a piece of meat in sauce
and some herbs thrown on top. The beef was really tender though,
minimal bones within. The dressing had a good balance of sweet, salty
and sour and had soaked through the meat.