Chowon, Kew – The Age Good Food Guide review

Last year, Korean-Australian chefs Changu Park and Jihwan Lee combined their love of Japanese cuisine with their engineering expertise to build a restaurant that “gives people a fine dining experience at an affordable price.” Better yet, they regulated prices to benefit the poor. So, will it be the pork loin katsu covered in melted cheddar cheese or the sparkling sashimi plate?

Lee handles the raw fish and hangs them whole in the dry-aging refrigerator next to the sushi bar. Tuna, kingfish and salmon sashimi comes coated in a dry ice mist against a backdrop of cucumber and radish, and the lightly pickled mackerel dipped in house-made mushroom soy sauce is particularly pleasing. Meanwhile, Park’s field of activity is cooked dishes, from which he draws on his Scandinavian and Mediterranean culinary experience.

Char-grilled calamari is complemented with spicy yuzu-kosho, tarragon and brown butter for a delicious, herbaceous and rich result. For fried food lovers, the cheesy katsu is a must, featuring panko-crumbed, deep-fried pork loin embracing tiny pools of melted cheddar cheese. Affordable fancy Japanese: no more culinary oxymorons.

Good Food reviews are booked anonymously and independently paid. A restaurant cannot pay for a review or inclusion on a list. Good Food Guide.