“The incoming chef has given the tiny Collins Street omakase restaurant a complete overhaul, with French-Korean beef tartare, 17-hour beef short ribs and Korean-made whisky now on the table.

Look behind the sushi counter at a top Japanese restaurant in Melbourne and you’re liable to find an accomplished Korean, like Matsu owner Hansol Lee or Sushi On founder JangYong Hyun. Yes – despite the two countries’ unpleasant history, the similarities and synergies between their cuisines is undeniable.

A Korean omakase, then, isn’t a huge deviation from the script. And at Little Collins restaurant Ronin, it could even be a step closer to tradition. Original chef Patrick Kwong, who founded the restaurant with his partner in 2024, grew up in Malaysia and plated up the likes of Hainanese fish rice, prawn nigiri with laksa butter, and an Italo-Japanese “tira-miso” dessert.

New chef Liam Lee, who’s clocked time at Nomad, Firebird and Studio Amaro, has brought an equally personal touch to the menu. Helpfully, one of his relatives runs a small Victorian farm specialising in Korean veggies – naturally, it’s come on as a supplier. Lee’s now pairing snapper with Yarra Valley caviar and Basque pil pil sauce (salt cod, garlic, olive oil). His guksu (noodles) float in a clear broth of dried scallops and Korean anchovy, plus fresh local uni (sea urchin). And a French-Korean yukhoe matches raw beef with egg yolk, gochujang and sliced nashi pear. Misugaru – a grain-based drink powder akin to Milo, sans chocolate – is reimagined as a panna cotta and paired with fermented persimmon and hazelnut.

Even the drinks list has been given a Korean overhaul, making Ronin almost like a new restaurant entirely. There’s Korean-made whiskies (a rarity in Melbourne) and some cocktails feature favi ade, a fruit-based vinegar made by Lee’s friend Sangsoo Kim of Hot Listed shop Gamja Hotteok. Here’s what Lee had to say about his new role.”

Audrey Payne & Nick Connellan

“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.

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.”

MF&W Editor

“While most Melbourne omakase joints are traditional fine-dining experiences where you delight in multiple courses of artful, meticulously crafted dishes served in hushed tones in a sophisticated atmosphere, things have always been done differently at Ronin Omakase.

Under the watchful eye of Chef Liam Lee, Ronin will introduce one of Melbourne's first Korean omakase experiences. Chef Lee's menu will draw on personal memories and culinary traditions, presented through the precise, structured format of an omakase.

Lee's menu will showcase Korean ingredients, dishes and techniques, which are perhaps less well-known across our city than those expected of Japanese omakase. Doenjang, a fermented soybean paste, will bring depth to a Pil Pil sauce; Yukhoe, a Korean dish of raw beef, is seasoned with gochujang and nashi pear; Guksu, or Korean wheat noodles, will be served with a curried bisque for lunch, and a scallop and anchovy broth for dinner; Misugaru, likened to a Korean Milo, is served as panna cotta for dessert, paired with fermented persimmon and hazelnut.

Lee is dedicated to making everything that he can in-house and is meticulous with his choice of ingredients. For example, after much exploration, he decided the best sesame seeds were from Korea, and so he uses ones flown in to Australia.

With only 10 seats, dining at Ronin offers an intimate experience, affording a front row seat to watch Chef Lee work his magic. The only challenging part? Scoring a seat.”

Jade Solomon