Chase Kojima's Revamped 21-Course Omakase Experience Shines at Sokyo at The Star
This modern chef's table-style menu at Soyko is a much-welcome addition to Sydney's omakase boom.
The golden child of Sydney's Japanese culinary scene, Chase Kojima, has launched a revamped omakase experience at Sokyo inside the bright lights of The Star. Featuring between 19- and 21-courses, the chef's table-style menu is exclusively prepared for six fortunate diners every Monday to Thursday evening.
Derived from the phrase 'leave it to the chef', the daily-changing omakase features the freshest, locally-sourced seafood, served at Sokyo's intimate sushi counter.
The spirited omakase experience marks a new direction for one of Sydney's finest Japanese restaurants.
"As part of our reopening last year, we wanted to ensure that every dish at Sokyo created a moment that feels like a performance," Kojima explains. "With the new omakase menu, we are offering diners an exclusive front-row seat."
While the omakase menu is founded in traditional Japanese flavours and techniques, service is crafted all for the modern diner. Each course is personally presented with a side of theatricality by Kojima himself or Sokyo's Head Chef Daniel Kwak. In between delicate dishes, the chefs joke about the exorbitant price of tuna belly, chat candidly about upcoming projects and pose with sashimi knives for guests at the counter.
"Sokyo has always been about paying respect to traditional Japanese cooking while giving it a burst of fresh energy that leaves customers with an unforgettable experience," Kojima says.
The retro riff also extends to the menu. There's a delightfully fatty and lightly seared ocean trout near the start of the nigiri series; a bite-size and umami-heavy King George Whiting sando served on toasted ciabatta bread with garlic aioli; and a savoury, cannoli-like tuna puree tucked into nori.
Other highlights from the menu include a plump scallop wonton in a butter and dashi sauce, and slices of buttery wagyu served with foie gras.
Omakase might be having a moment in Sydney with recently opened Besuto, Bay Nine and Kojima's own latest venture, Senpai Ramen in Chatswood. Even so, Sokyo's precise but unpretentious take is a very welcome addition.
Sokyo's omakase runs every Monday—Thursday, with bookings currently open until Thursday, April 28 at $270 per person. You can book via The Star's website.
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