Star Turn

At Chuuka, two top chefs combine Chinese and Japanese influences to bring Sydney a restaurant that goes big, bright and bold, writes DAVID MATTHEWS.

- David Matthews

There’s so much going on at Chuuka that I don’t know where to start. It could be the soundtrack, which ranges from Lorde remixes and The Avalanches to what I’m tempted to describe as arcade synth-wave disco. It could be the garish design shoehorned into the heritage wharf building, or the $38 frozen yoghurt service for dessert. Or it could be the website, where the same Chinese dragon and Japanese koi carp that decorate the walls of the restaurant snake their way behind a neon “Chuuka” sign and the phrase “rebel, renegade, outlaw, punk” sits awkwardly above a footnote reading “brought to you by The Star”.

At its worst, Chuuka is an example of a decent pitch gone askew through too much corporate workshopping. At its best, it’s a place where the coming together of two chefs in their prime – Chase Kojima (Sokyo, Sydney and Kiyomi, Gold Coast) and Victor Liong (Lee Ho Fook, Melbourne) – manages to drown it out. Where dishes that on paper shouldn’t work do and hint at this Sino-Japanese collaboration having serious staying power.