Chuuka, Pyrmont, Sydney

I’m sure it’s pretty obvious with the blog’s name on how much I love ramen. Ramen is also referred to as Chuka Soba, which means Chinese noodles. Chuka or Chuuka normally refers to Japanese style or take on Chinese food. It’s dishes like ramen, gyoza, and kakuni pork belly. But with Chefs Victor Liong and Chase Kojima’s Chuuka Restaurant, it’s more of a 50/50 fusion of Japanese and Chinese flavours and cooking style.

Chuuka Restaurant is part of The Star group of restaurants and is located at Jones Bay Wharf. The space has a rustic contemporary look with nice scenic views of the Johnstons bay area. I visited Chuuka for lunch a few weeks back with the fam.

The hiramasa kingfish with white fungi, radish, burnt garlic, spring onion and soy cream ($24) was beautifully delicate with sweet notes and light umami.

Chuuka’s version of chawanmushi ($13pp) is a savoury steamed custard  dish with foie gras, blue swimmer crab, carrot ginger sauce and shellfish essence. This dish is all about silky textures with notes of umami and some sweetness to balance the overall flavour of the dish.

Y’all need to try Chase’s ‘tempura yuzu chicken”($24) with dried chilli, sweet & sour yuzu sauce. It is like a very premium Chinese lemon chicken. It was so damn addictive.

Another addictive item on the menu is the Chuuka ebi chilli ($42), which is stir fried prawns in chilli miso butter and accompanied by Japanese milk buns. The chilli and umami factors weren’t as intense but it was very well-balanced with hints of sweet flavour. The soft buns were perfect to soak up all the delicious chilli miso butter sauce.

The Sichuan eggplant dish with puffed chickpeas, crispy garlic, fried wonton skins and white miso sesame dressing ($28) had an interesting contrast of textures and flavours. It’s a mix and toss type of dish to bring out all the awesome flavours from the ingredients.

The wagyu short rib ($59) was so tender and buttery! It comes with baby cos lettuce, ginger & spring onion relish to make mini wraps.

My favourite savoury dish hands down was the tenshindon ($35). This is a classic Chuka dish, which is typically a blanket of crab omelette on rice. Chuuka’s version is levelled up with blue swimmer crab, and a thick broth like Japanese style XO Sauce with egg on scallop rice. It was packed with punches of umami with light sweet, earthy and peppery notes.

The “Chuuka yoghurt service” is a massive dessert set that’s good for 2 or more people ($38). It’s yoghurt sorbet with mascarpone ice cream and frozen meringue. It also comes with toppings (served on the side): 1) yuzu & ginger jam; 2) raspberry , freeze dried beetroot & pink peppercorn; 3) roasted hazelnuts and kinako; 4) Vietnamese coffee jelly, 5) matcha milk crumb; 6) bitter chocolate and cocoa nibs.

If you’re a fan of bubble tea, then you need try the super fun Japanese purple yam ice cream dessert with pearl jasmine tea, sago and bluberries ($14).

The Kurozato brown sugar mochi ice cream ($9) is a simple yet amazing play on Kyoto yatsuhashi mochi. Rather than stuffed with azuki bean filling etc., ice cream is sandwiched in yatsuhashi mochi.

Chuuka
Suite 62-64, Jones Bay Wharf
26-32 Pirrrama Road
Pyrmont NSW
Ph: 02 9657 9882

Opening hours:
Tues to Sat 12pm-3pm, 5:30pm-10pm
Sun 12pm-3pm