Korean Omakase in Melbourne
Rōnin is a Korean omakase in Melbourne’s CBD, and as far as we know the only one. The counter seats ten. Chef Liam Lee cooks about ten courses in front of you, decided on the day, and nothing on the counter is sushi. The structure is Japanese. The food is Korean.
If you are new to the format, what omakase is explains it. If you have eaten omakase before, this page is about what changes when the cooking is Korean.
Jang, Ferments and Fire
Korean cooking runs on jang: doenjang, gochujang and ganjang, the fermented soybean pastes and sauces that give the cuisine its depth. At Rōnin they are the seasoning backbone of the night rather than a garnish. Ferments and pickles are made in house, and charcoal does the work that a sushi counter leaves to rice vinegar and a sharp knife.
Banchan, the small side dishes of a Korean meal, appear at the counter as courses in their own right. What banchan is and why we make every one of them here is on the journal.
Dishes That Have Appeared at the Counter
The menu changes with the produce, so no two months are the same. Press coverage gives a sense of the range: Broadsheet wrote about a French-Korean beef tartare with gochujang, short rib cooked for seventeen hours, and Korean whisky; Melbourne Food and Wine Festival noted guksu, the Korean wheat noodle soup, and banchan built on Korean vegetables grown on a private farm outside Melbourne. None of these are promised on a given night. They show the direction.
Liam Lee
Liam Lee trained in multi-course Korean cooking at Gyungbokgung Hanjungsik in Seoul before leading kitchens in Melbourne at Nomad, Firebird and Studio Amaro. He took over the Rōnin counter in 2026 and rebuilt it as a Korean omakase. His full background is on the chef page.
How It Differs From a Sushi Omakase
Same pacing, same chef’s choice, same counter. Different seasoning, different heat, different textures, and no nigiri. The course by course comparison is the fastest way to decide whether this is your night.
Price, Hours and Booking
A$195 per guest, paid at booking. Wednesday to Saturday from 6pm, dinner only. Seats for the next month open on the 20th at 8pm via OpenTable. Dietary alterations are not possible and BYO is not available. The counter can be booked out for a group of ten.
Common Questions
Is there any sushi at a Korean omakase?
Not at Rōnin. The courses are Korean: fermented and charcoal cooked dishes, noodles, banchan and meat and seafood seasoned with jang.
How spicy is Korean omakase?
Heat is used where it belongs rather than everywhere. Gochujang appears, but the night is built on depth from fermentation, not on chilli.
Is Rōnin the only Korean omakase in Melbourne?
As far as we know, yes. Other counters run by Korean born chefs serve Japanese sushi omakase. Rōnin’s cooking is Korean.
How much is the Korean omakase?
A$195 per guest for about ten courses, paid when you book.
Book a Seat
445 Little Collins St, Melbourne VIC 3000
Wed to Sat, 6pm to 11pm (dinner only)
0401 721 491 | info@roninomakase.com