Overview
The opening at Sydney's new dining and retail precinct Darling Square have has staggered openings over the last 18 months — first Steam Mill Lane opened, followed by the Maker's Dozen and, most recently, XOPP by Golden Century inside the new Exchange building. But now, as the precinct nears completion, the final nine retailers have been announced, and including everything from a tiny Japanese omakase joint to a designer sneaker store.
If Chinese is what you're after, Lilong by Taste of Shanghai focuses on authentic regional dishes like pan-fried soup dumplings and spicy handmade noodles. Or head to Goobne, an Australian-first outpost of the Korean roast chicken chain that boasts a whopping 1000 stores in Asia. When it opens on November 11, you'll be able to chow down on eight flavours of roast chicken (including sweet and spicy, sichuan and teriyaki styles), along with a range of Korean comfort dishes.
Then there's the Kickstarter-funded IIKO Mazesoba, which will specialise in its namesake Japanese-style 'brothless' ramen dishes that are tossed in savoury sauces instead of soup. The house-made noodles will come in varieties such as multigrain, matcha, beetroot and squid ink. Karaage fried chicken, potato salad and shaved iced desserts will make the menu, too.
Chinta Ria serves up Malaysian comfort food and its fit-out features a three-metre-tall Buddha statue for good measure. Expect dishes like laksa, satay, rendang, noodle stir fries and gado gado salads on offer.
Perhaps the most exciting opening, though, is the tiny 11-seat Omakase features a 24-course chef's menu that changes daily and focuses on fresh, local seafood. You'll be able to grab a seat at the kitchen counter, some sake, and watch as Head Chef Fukada San prepares your meal. Bookings here are a must, with only one lunch sitting (12–2pm) and two dinner sittings (6pm and 8pm) each day. While the rest of the retailers will open by the end of the year, Omakase won't be open until March 2020.
Other additions include Pancakes on the Rocks, designer sneaker store Solemate Sneakers, a Chinese skincare specialist and — since you'll obviously be spending a lot of money here — a community bank.
The whole precinct has so many food options as it is, so we've put together a handy rundown of the things you can now eat in the precinct to make things a little bit easier.
When everything's up and running, Darling Square will have a whopping 70 cafes, restaurants and shops, not to mention all the apartments, office spaces and a brand new library, which is slated to open on October 28.
The final nine shops at Darling Square, Haymarket will open before the end of the year, except for Omakase, which will open in March 2020.