There’s a whole new dining experience coming to Canberra. Akiba is setting up on the corner of Mort Street and Bunda Street, at the bottom of the ACTEWAGL Building.
OutInCanberra sat down with Michael and Peter Harrington, as well as the new restaurant manager, Thomas, to talk through campfire inspiration, barbecues and the future of Canberra dining.
Congrats on the impending launch of Akiba? What’s in the name?
We were knocking around a bunch of ideas, but we hit inspiration around the campfire on a team-bonding trip to Lake Eucumbene. As the night wore on and a bottle of tequila grew more empty, Thomas Weis (Akiba’s Manager) shouted “Ariba!”
All we heard was “Akiba!” but it kind of stuck.
We liked Akiba, as it represents the buzzing energy of the electronics district of Tokyo, Akihabara, and the name of a fire fighting deity. Given we’re in the ACTEWAGL building, it all works perfectly! We want to capture all that energy in the new restaurant.
Obviously we’re looking at a lot of Asian influences, what can we expect to shine through?
Imagine a high energy bar where people dine at a frenetic pace. Food carts zip around between tables while the long wooden and copper bar entertains drinkers after work and all through the night. We’re building a place that’s not for special occasions – it’s a place you can happily drop in to a couple of times a week.
Who is your chef?
We’ve got two: Johnon Macdonald (Rockpool, Gingerboy, Nobu, Morimoto) and Brian Logan (Quay, Tetsuya’s, Marque, Sokyo). Akiba is going to be a big operation, so they’re going to combine skills and energy to keep this machine cranking at maximum level. Brian and Johnon have both got incredible skills when it comes to Asian flavours and techniques, so we’re pretty excited to see what they bring to the fore.
What’s the feel and energy looking like?
We’re really going for lots of fun and intensity. A big focus is going to be our barbeque, and cooking food with fire is going to be a major feature of Akiba. We’ve got a Josper Oven ready to go, which is a style of cooking very few Australians will have seen.
Everyone dreams of building a restaurant. Talk us through the creative process.
There was a lot of self-exploration. We had to research a lot. We wanted to develop the concept of a feeling… an atmosphere… and working towards something that will make an impression on a national level. As soon as we decided what that standard and feeling was – along with the name – everything kind of fell into place.
Sage has been great in running little dining events Such as next week’s Canberra Collective. Have you got unique happenings for Akiba?
Ha! Plenty, but we’re not going to tell you about them yet!
Where do you see as being the challenges for Canberra dining over the coming years?
The public drives the Canberra dining scene, so we have to ensure as an industry that we provide venues that people actually want to visit. That takes a lot of effort – listening to the public and learning what diners want. Those who do will keep the dining scene vibrant and, importantly, busy.
Finally, when are you opening?
We’re aiming for early December – but hopefully sooner.
For more information, you can check out Akiba’s website and Facebook page.
