It’s a razor-sharp pairing: the newest additions to the stylish QT Melbourne include Hot Sauce, a late-night restaurant and laneway bar, located beside Tanto, where masterfully crafted traditional Japanese knives take center stage. Melbourne’s laneways — once service passages for Victorian-era horse-drawn carts — are now vibrant hubs in the city’s Central Business District. The new knife shop is the first of its kind in Australia, offering Suisin knives forged by 10th-generation craftsmen and sword makers from Sakai, the historic Japanese city famed for producing katana for samurai warriors from the 14th century onward. If you already own a quality knife, the shop’s Suisin apprentice can sharpen and hone it for you — just remember to pack it in your checked luggage for the flight home.
Hot Sauce’s menu, developed by executive chef Paul Easson alongside QT Hotels and Resorts’ creative food director Rob Marchetti, blends bold flavors and late-night comfort food. Standout savory items include crispy fried chicken tossed in hot sauce with kimchi and American cheese. Desserts deliver tropical sweetness and creamy textures, such as mango ripple ice cream served with coconut ice and coconut cream.
The beverage list nods to the knife shop next door with a curated selection of rare Japanese liquors alongside Korean and Japanese beers. Cocktails stay on theme, offering inventive blends like the Gangnam 64 — an umeshu-and-raspberry-infused drink — and the Shinshu Julep, made from Mars Iwai Japanese whiskey, Shiso Umeshu, yuzu bitters and fresh shiso leaves. Together, Tanto and Hot Sauce create an atmospheric laneway experience that pairs fine craftsmanship with lively late-night dining and drinking.