At Toko Group’s newest venue in Prahran, the dining experience includes the potential for people watching. As dish after immaculately constructed dish from from the tasting menu gets placed in front of diners, it’s equally interesting to gawk at the beautiful people and socialites of the chic southside suburb.
Dive into the drinks list which includes a range of cocktails (many on the tall and sweet side). An extensive sake line-up, curated by Australian sake sommelier Paul Birtwistle, features Tokubetsu Junmai house sake from Japan’s Nanbu Bijin brewery. The Japanese whisky list has a few soon-to-be rare numbers, so it’s worth asking the bartender about the best drops to go with your meal.
The long menu might require a bit of guiding through, but a good strategy is leave the ordering to the waitstaff or to order at least one thing from every section. The small plates feature a list of sushi and sashimi dishes, tempura (the Moreton Bay bug number makes a great beer snack), followed by a grilled section that sees a range of seafood, meats and vegetables get transformed into smoky goodness over a turn on the robata charcoal grill.
Smart diners will know to come in early (around 6pm, according to the maitre d’) to score a seat at one of the private, spotlit tables, or else you’ll be seated at the communal table or the separate bar at the courtyard area out the back. Alternatively, book the dining area with traditional tatami mats and a sunken dining table if you feel like some privacy, or from the sushi bar seating watch the kitchen and sushi experts at work.
