Overview
Darlinghurst has scored a new Japanese fusion restaurant and bar with Moku. The sleek new venue joins the likes of Besuto and Bay Nine Omakase in Sydney's ongoing movement in omakase-style dining. Moku also boasts the city's first-ever bottomless highball brunch offering.
The stellar team behind the latest addition to Darlinghurst's dining scene includes Head Chef Ha Chuen Wai (formerly Sushi E & Sokyo) overseeing the pass, while celebrated mixologist Charles Chang is guiding the drinks program, creating artisan cocktails for guests.
Head to Crown Street and you'll easily find the two-storey restaurant — two bright red flags with 'Moku' written across them indicate you've arrived at the entrance. Inside, you'll be greeted by textured brick walls and an intimate dining atmosphere. The name comes from the Japanese word for 'wood', and it lives up to the promise with a fit-out largely consisting of appealing timber furniture, exposed beams and earthy tones. There is also a bar on each level so that you can enjoy the team's creative cocktails from every space.
When it comes to the food, Moku heroes Japanese classics and flavours combined with native ingredients for a modern Australian twist.
If you're in for lunch, the chirashi lunch offering stars unagi kabayaki — eel, kinshi tamago and jellyfish salad accompanied by finger lime and sencha dashi, the kaisen chirash — a combination of fresh seafood including Mt Cook salmon, yellowfin tuna, scallop and ikura, and wagyu beef carpaccio.
For dinner service, small plates feature Sydney rock oysters, corn tempura and prawn katsu sandos. Opt for the larger plates and you'll find buckwheat okonomiyaki (a savoury Japanese pancake), hoijcha-smoked duck breast and octopus paired with chilli miso, wakame vinaigrette and witlof. While the dessert course melds Italian classics with Japanese influences, such as a matcha tiramisu.
Looking to try a bit of everything? Or perhaps indecisiveness plagues you. Whatever the case, the banquet menu could present an ideal solution. For $75 per person, you can enjoy the best Moku has to offer, from the chicken and saltbush tsukune and the eggplant and miso dengaku, through to the dessert of the day.
Moku's omakase experience is only available on Wednesday and Thursday nights, so you'll want to book in advance.
When it comes to the drinks program, the menu is inspired by the different regions of Japan and ranges from the best Japanese whisky, bespoke highballs and a brand-new line of sake.
For those with a particular yen for the highball, Moku's bottomless highball brunch is available on Saturdays where you'll enjoy 90 minutes of exciting chef-selected bites to share and free-flowing highballs for $95 per person.
Moku's dinner service is 5:30pm-11pm Tuesday to Saturday, and the lunch offering from 12pm to 3pm on Fridays and Saturdays. You'll find the venue at 163 Crown St, Darlinghurst, and you can book your reservation at Moku's booking page or simply walk in.