delicious Australia – September 2019

“HOWDIDYOUlikethe
flavours?”is anoddwayof
askingif onewassatisfied
witha dish,butduring
lunchat Chuuka,thebold
newculinarymashupofJapaneseand
ChinesebySokyo’sChaseKojimaandLee
HoFook’sVictorLiong,it’showtheyroll.
Chuukarestauranthonourschuka, the
termusedin Japanfora styleofJapanese
cuisinefoundin Chineserestaurants.It’s
a fusion,forwantofa betterterm,ofthe
CantoneseandJapanese,andit’snotthe
firsttimewe’veseenit playonmenusin
Australia.HamishInghamwhilechefand
co-ownerofBarH in SurryHills(nowat
Banskii)museda menuinchukastyle and
hedida damnfinejobofit too.
ButChuukais different.Housedin the
formerhomeofFlyingFishandownedby
TheStar,it sitsin theheritage-listedendof
JonesBayWharf.There’sanoutdoorbar,
a mezzanine,rawbar,privatedining,and
muralsofdragonsandkoibyartistDeepak
Munsamithatadda senseofcultural
heritage,albeitcheekily,tothespace.
OnegetsthesenseLiongandKojima
hadfunonthisprojectandthefloorstaff
seemkeentosharethepositiveenergy.
They’reenthusiastic,whichis allyoucan
askfor,really.Thedrinkslistis solid– a trip
around the globe at affordable prices, plus

sakeanda swagofcocktailsincludinga

seriesinspiredbytheChineseelements:

wood,fire,earth,metalandwater– and

no,thecocktailisn’tjustwater,it’sa mixof

SuntoryRokugin,blackteablended with

ginger,lemongrassandSichuan.

LiongandKojima’sshareplatesfeature

fineculinarytechnique,a balance of

flavoursandspot-oncookery.

Pickledsansho(Japanesepepper),

infusedsoyandcucumbersupportthe

subtlesweetnessofscallopsashimiand

savouryjoyofrawtuna.Thensilky‘Bang

Bangchicken’getsthetastebudsjumping,

servedwiththezingofyuzukoshoand

numbingjoyofSichuanchillioil,shisoand

a refreshingsalad.It’slively.SoftJapanese

milkbunsarrivetosopupglutinouschilli

misobuttersaucealloverlargeprawns

withchilli,andtheChuukamapotofuveers

offtraditionwitha vegetarianspin.Here

agedashitofu,yubaandsilkentofuwade

ina sundriedtomatomaposauce.

Dessertsarea treat.Thechewytexture

ofmochidoughthatencaseskurozato

brownsugaricecreamis a lovelytextural

journey.AlthoughLiongandKojimahave

bothmadea nameforthemselves,there

arenoegosontheplate.Rather,a

beautifulbalancethatmanifestsin good

eating.SohowdidI likethoseflavours?

Very much so. Thanks for asking.

Twoculinaryworldscollide,andtheresultsareslick,bang-on and

focused on flavour, writesAnthony Huckstep.

EASTERN FEASTS

FROM LEFT:Chuuka’soutdoorbaris the

idealwelcomeforguests;

a sampleofthefineofferings;

Victor Liong (left) and Chase Kojima.

REVIEW.

@huckstergram @anthuckstep

For more of our critics’ dining picks.

REVIEWEDONLINETHIS MONTH

Babylon,SydneyCBD

Conlan’sWineStore,PortFairy,VIC

OsteriaCoogee,Coogee,Sydney

Nour, Surry Hills, Sydney

CHUUKA

CUISINE

Chinese/Japanese

CHEFS

Chase KojimaandVictor Liong

VISIT

Suite62-64,JonesBayWharf

26-32PirramaRd,Pyrmont

OPENINGHOURS

TuesdaytoSaturday,12pm-10pm

Sunday,lunchonly

BOOKINGS

(02) 96579882

chuuka.com.au

PRICE

$$$

BYO

No

delicious.com.au

BOOKA

TABLENOWAT

52 delicious.com.au