Melbourne’s new sushi master

When it comes to sushi experts, most of us would look to Japan.

But chef Moon Kyung Soo comes from South Korea.

Not only is he renowned for the cooking and serving of blowfish.

He is also regarded as a master of traditional Japanese cooking techniques fused with his innovative approach to the distinctive cuisine, blending classical technique and contemporary methods, such as the use of dehydration and sous-vide that creates different textures in his dishes.

Examples include his popular signature Truffle Kanpachi dish – slices of yellowtail sashimi with yuzu, micro herbs and truffle oil – which he created when he was working at the Michelin-starred Mikuni restaurant in Singapore. He was producing 1000 of them a day.

He has a background working in five star hotels, starting out as a sushi apprentice in Tokyo before graduating to rice cooking, then to the role of wakiita, where he would prepare and slice fish. That saw him picking up sushi master skills, for example, adapting to a diner’s eating pace, knowing when they last took a sip of sake. He became an itamae in 2008.

So when Moon was approached by Chris Lucas (of The Lucas Group, owner of Chin Chin, Hawker Hall) to join his new Japanese restaurant, Kisume, he was keen to take it up.

It was an opportunity to bring his own ideas here and use them in a menu that features produce from only Australia and New Zealand, including New Zealand sea bream, prawns from Queensland, and Tasmanian wasabi.

Moon told Broadsheet: “When I was first speaking to him (Lucas), he asked, ‘What do you want?’ I said, ‘I want all of [the produce] from the markets – local’. He said, ‘Okay, today you’re going to Queen Victoria Market. Tomorrow you’re going to Sydney Fish Market. Next day, you go diving.’

“I’ve been here two months, and already I’ve tried everything local.”

He’s even been diving for abalone in Williamstown.

“My sushi-making is always about where I’m working. I’m always looking for local culture,” Moon says. “In Melbourne, for instance, everything is a bit sweet. The rice is sweeter.

“Our tuna [at Kisumé] is bluefin tuna, but it’s more oily than normal. So I make a garlic soy [mixture] for on top, and when it’s in your mouth, it cuts through the oil. I can’t give you just Japan’s style, because Japan is different.”

by Leon Gettler, May 12^th 2017