Hot in the City: Koto takes over the Lobby with refined Japanese dining
Region Canberra featured Koto in its Hot in the City series after a weekday lunch visit, a few weeks after our official launch in September 2023.
Writer Lucy Ridge introduced Koto as a fine dining Japanese restaurant inside the Lobby building in the Parliamentary Triangle. Owner Adam Elchakak restored the space, including its original wood-panelled ceiling, and glass walls open up for open-air dining in warmer months.
The review follows Executive Head Chef Shinya Nakano from ten years of training under a fifth-generation sushi master in Kyoto to Nobu and Kisumé in Melbourne. His sushi and tempura get most of the attention: scallop and kingfish nigiri with house-made soy, salmon maki topped with roe, and prawn tempura with yuzu kosho mayo, which Ridge said she could have finished by herself.
She also highlighted the miso-fried eggplant, one of our most popular dishes, for its creamy centre and crunchy coating, and the Snap Pea mocktail, which pairs the natural sweetness of peas with verjuice.
Region explained the kaiseki idea behind the menu: food should reflect where you are. That’s why native Australian ingredients and seasonal produce appear throughout.
Ridge’s verdict was that Chef Nakano’s sushi and tempura alone make Koto worth the visit. She plans to come back for the sashimi and sushi platters.
