A Toastie Cafe, Hotpot Restaurant and Dog Spa Are the Newest Residents of Sydney's Darling Square

Mega precinct Darling Square just keeps on expanding, with another three retailers now open and two more to follow later this month.

The most exciting of these is the long-awaited opening of Kuon Omakase, an 11-seat Japanese restaurant. Here Head Chef Fukada San serves up a 20-course ($180) menu of sushi and sashimi, while patrons sit at the kitchen counter and watch the chef in action. The seasonal menu changes daily and an optional wine or sake pairing can be added, too. Bookings here are a must, with only one lunch sitting (12–2pm) and two dinner sittings (6pm and 8pm) each day.

Then, there's Spago, an Italian restaurant that hails from The Hill and is headed by Chef Eddie Leung. It's now open within the Maker's Dozen food court inside The Exchange building. Expect freshly made pasta dishes, with the majority under $20. Build-your-own bowls — with sauces including boscaiola, salsiccia, amatriciana and carbonara — are also on the docket.

Toastiesmith

Meanwhile, Tumbalong Boulevard now boasts Jackpot Hotpot, a casino-themed, Macau-style hotpot restaurant. It offers seven different broths — including lobster and veggie varieties — made in-house daily. Build your bowl with dozens of premium ingredients, including lobster, abalone, wagyu, lamb and kurobuta pork, plus heaps of vegetables. There's also an extensive booze list featuring wine, sake and whisky, too.

And Steam Mill Lane is also now home to Hachi, a dog spa, boutique and cafe. Get your pet professionally groomed, then pick up some clothing and accessories and head to the photo studio. With your fresh snaps in tow, grab your pooch a special treat from the cafe.

Opening later this month within Maker's Dozen is Toastiesmith, a sanga-themed cafe offering up 12 different varieties, including roast beef, pork katsu and grilled fish, all topped with an egg omelette. Drinks include coffees, smoothies and house-made sodas. Joining Toastiesmith in late-August is another outpost of stalwart Pancakes on The Rocks, and it'll serve up an all-day menu of diner favourites.

To check the new venues' opening hours, head over to the Darling Square website.

Top images: Hachi and Jackpot Hotpot.