Sachi and Bar Kaeru will explore umami through seafood, fermented flavours and curated Kozaemon sake pairings.
Sachi will host a one-night Japanese fermentation dinner featuring two $120 set menus and Kozaemon sake pairings on Sunday, 30th August 2026.
Starting at 5.30pm, The Fifth Taste Dinner brings Melbourne CBD Japanese restaurant Sachi together with sake bar Bar Kaeru to explore umami and fermented flavours.
Clove Group founder Reki Rei will host the event alongside Sachi Head Chef Hong Shinwoo, who has created a sushi course and a main dining menu for the evening. Each option will be paired with three Kozaemon sakes produced by Nakashima Sake Brewery in Gifu Prefecture.
“At Sachi we use things like miso, shio koji, vinegar, soy sauce and sake lees all the time, so when the opportunity came up to work with Bar Kaeru, it just made sense to explore this same flavour idea from two different sides,” Rei said.
Two menus built around umami
The sushi course includes kingfish sashimi, calamari sushi, hapuka sushi, swordfish tataki, salmon nigiri, chirashi gunkan, akami nigiri and amaebi nigiri.
Guests will also be served aburi flounder’s fin nigiri, an unagi handroll and fish bone broth.
The main dining menu begins with bluefin tuna sashimi served with sake lees ricotta and shio koji tosazu. Its second course combines grilled zuke swordfish kushiyaki, calamari tempura with natto miso glaze, and scallop katsu with umeboshi aioli and katsuobushi.
A sushi selection featuring four pieces of nigiri, one chumaki and one hakozushi completes the menu.
Bar Kaeru owner Sean Then has selected the sake pairings, with each bottle coming from the Kozaemon range. Then recommends tasting the food first before taking a small sip of sake while the final bite remains on the palate, a practice described as “seasoning of the mouth”.
Event information
What: Sachi x Bar Kaeru: The Fifth Taste Dinner
When: Sunday, 30th August 2026
Time: From 5.30pm
Where: Sachi, 179 Queen Street, Melbourne
Price: $120 per person
Includes: Choice of two set menus with three Kozaemon sake pairings
Bookings: Reserve a table through SevenRooms
