DON’T BE CHICKEN

This Burleigh eatery is breaking with character to host a seafood and sake night, writes Amber Macpherson

IKU Yakitori Bar is out to prove it can bring more to the table than just grilled chicken with a six-course seafood night.

The Burleigh Heads Japanese restaurant feels it’s been (excuse the pun) pigeonholed in its grilled meat options, so owner Mitchell McCluskey is hosting the inaugural Seafood, Sake and Soul event on Thursday to shake up its reputation.

“Yakitori means grilled chicken,” Mitchell says.

“So not a lot of people realise we can do other things. We wanted to showcase that there are more options than grilled chicken when it comes to yakitori. This is the first one we’ve organised and we’ve based it around seafood.”

While the restaurant has had an extensive list of sake on offer since its opening late last year, Mitchell says this evening will showcase just how well it pairs with fresh seafood.

“We’ll start with freshly shucked oysters, move on to a raw dish, then a tempura dish. The last few courses will be off our robata grill, followed by a dessert,” he says.

“We’re going to explain each sake and how it pairs with the meal. Our bar manager has recently done a qualification in sake called WSET 3. It’s the highest course that you can do in sake at the moment.

“He’ll be there on the night answering any questions, but we don’t want to make the dinner too structured. We like to have a little bit of fun.

“We want people to realise how fun it can be to try new things and new experiences.”

Mitchell hopes guests will share the appreciation for his hand-picked menu of sake, tried and tested in the snowy mountains of Japan.

“That’s how we were introduced to sake,” Mitchell says. “The more we drank, the more we experimented. There are so many different methods in brewing and flavours. Premium sake is served chilled like a bottle of wine. We always recommend slightly chilled, just below room temperature.”

Gold Coast soul group the Hanlon Brothers will perform funky rhythm and blues music throughout the evening.

Mitchell plans to host regular themed nights, including whiskey dinners, in the coming months.

Seafood, Sake and Soul starts at 6.30pm, Thursday at Iku, 1730 GC Hwy, Burleigh. Tickets $90.