When Moon Park closed their Redfern restaurant last September, a giant bibimbap-shaped hole was left in the hearts of many Sydney-siders. This was the restaurant that flung modern Korean cuisine into the mainstream; owners Ben Sears, Eun Hee An and Ned Brooks are in part responsible for broadening an understanding of the country’s food beyond Korean BBQ.
Thankfully, this restaurant tragedy has a happily-ever-after and its name is. The old Moon Park team have reunited to open an all-day eatery at the Bourke Street Bakery site in Potts Point.
“Being an all-day restaurant allows us to try new things – you get a little bit stagnant if you’re always offering the same thing,” co-owner Ned Brooks tells SBS.
The choice of site is no coincidence, either; Bourke Street Bakery co-founder David McGuiness, a longtime Moon Park customer, approached the team last year after dinner one night with an idea for branching out the Bourke Street brand beyond baked goods.
Their famous shrimp-brined fried chicken returns to the menu. Source: Nikki To
“They’re [Bourke Street Bakery] not our landlord – they’re involved in the business financially, and we use their products, their bread and their pastries,” Brooks says.
Those who have been mourning the loss of their famous fried chicken will be comforted to know that it’s one of three original Moon Park dishes being resurrected on the menu, along with the bibimbap and tokbokki (Korean rice cake). But there’s a slight divergence to East Asia this time with less Korean and more Chinese, Taiwanese and Japanese accents, with some Australian cafe touches.
For breakfast, scrambled eggs are teamed with char siu bacon, breakfast bao buns are loaded with ham and spinach, and porridge arrives as congee with crab and corn. The all-day substantials include a miso hotpot with cabbage, bbq pork belly and black pepper, and a vegetarian scallion pancake with mushrooms.
The snappy 16-dish menu also features a smattering of fun fusion snacks: spiced chong qing popcorn with chilli and peanuts, prawn toast sandwiches, and a taco yaki – octopus piled into a rice flour tortilla.
“They’re not conventional dishes but not completely foreign, either,” Brooks explains.
Breakfast highlights include rice pudding with crab and corn Source: Nikki To
Scallion pancakes are on the all-day menu. Source: Nikki To
No strangers to a food trend, the kitchen is also rolling out a soufflé-style Japanese cheesecake with kumquats for dessert.
“You know those light, fluffy, moreish cheesecakes that have been quite popular lately? We’re also doing an egg sponge with grapefruit and coconut.”
An 80-strong wine list offers 20 by-the-glass options to keep things nice and convivial, powered by Brooks’ own wholesale wine business, Brooks & Amos. Beers, cocktails and about a dozen sakes will round out the booze side of things.
For the most part, they’ve kept the site’s original fittings and features, with outdoor seating also available.
“Being in Potts Point offered a lot more day traffic, which we’re trying to cater for. It’s a new business and a new beginning – we’re excited.”
Open Weekdays 7am-3pm, Sat-Sun 8am-3pm. Dinner bookings arriving in August. 46a Macleay Street, Potts Point
