Kiyomi by Chase

Following our first taste of Jupiters’ newly renovated poolside experience, our next dinner was much more familiar. If you’ve read our previous posts on Sokyo’s omakase degustation or the breakfast buffet at Sokyo, then you’re most likely to be acquainted with the name Chase Kojima. This talented young chef (ex-Nobu) has been wooing Sydneysiders with his modern take on Japanese cuisine, and now has brought his world class skills to the Gold Coast!

There’s no denying Chase’s celebrity status, from the airport, Chase’s face greeted us along the highway via enormous billboards and again in a ceiling-height poster at the hotel lobby.

Named after Chase’s late mother, Kiyomi is also a hybrid Japanese citrus fruit. While both The Star Casino (where Sokyo is located) and Jupiters Hotel & Casino (where Kiyomi is located) are owned by Echo Management Group, we can’t help but be wowed by Jupiter’s $345 million transformation which will also include a new six-star luxury hotel tower.

The most striking feature of Kiyomi is a 6 metre x 2.6 metre fluorescent graffiti installation which stretches across the restaurant’s back wall. As strikingly beautiful as it was to gaze at, the nightclub-esque lighting meant our entire meal contained an odd nuclear glow so please excuse this in the photos below as it really doesn’t do this incredible meal any justice!

Tonight, Chase prepared a selection of his favourite dishes. We started with grilled Shishito Peppers, charred and blistered, thin shavings of parmigiano reggiano clung onto the skin. The salty umami of the cheese paired with the savoury goodness of the miso dipping sauce was sensational!

We didn’t need an introduction into the next dish, the seared scampi we’ve had before, but this presentation featuring the scampi shell which emphasised the freshness, definitely lifted the game! The richness of the foie gras melted into the sweetness of the scampi and the apple added a lovely brightness.

We were reunited with another Sokyo dish, the kingfish and miso ceviche; I could never tire of this dish, the contrasting crispy and smooth textures really hit the spot.

The tuna tataki was exquisitely adorned with edible flowers and was almost too pretty to eat.

The tempura of Moreton Bay bug is probably one of the best tempuras I’ve ever had. So delicate and light, the batter offered a crisp texture without overpowering the subtleness of the fresh shellfish. The two dipping sauces was fun to mix things up but I kept reaching back for the tangyness of the vinegar.

Patagonian Toothfish is highly prized for its snow-white flesh, high fat content and clean flavour. Although a serve of dengakuman toothfish won’t visually delight you in its portion size, I find that the rich buttery taste always wins me over and this was no different.

From the grill, the Wagyu +9 striploin is perfectly juicy with just the right amount of smokiness. This was complemented with grilled king brown mushrooms which had an earthy, meaty bite, and a fragrant zesty lift from the lime juice. Everyone around the table agreed that we could go vegetarian if we had Chase cooking vegetables like this for us everyday!

The crispy rice with spicy tuna has somewhat become one of Chase’s signature dishes, so we’re glad they’ve made its way to Kiyomi too. The Queensland Roll is like a California roll except the crab stick is replaced with real spanner crab (yum!) and a creamy avocado mousse replaces the humble avocado slice. The Tai Nori are like miniature Japanese tacos, with a sheet of thick crunchy nori as the shell. We eat each piece in one bite, the traditional way.

Desserts consist of Yatsuhashi, a soft glutinous mochi filled with a semi-frozen strawberry ice-cream, and Goma Street, another Sokyo favourite, featuring a play on chocolate and black sesame.

Kiyomi has definitely proven to be a hit! With classic favourites from its sibling restaurant in Sydney, I’m looking forward to seeing the menu at Kiyomi evolve with more local seasonal Queensland produce. It’ll no doubt become a ‘must-do’ for the Gold Coast!

Jupiters Hotel & Casino
Broadbeach Island, Gold Coast QLD
Phone: +61 7 5592 8100
Web: jupitersgoldcoast.com.au

Kiyomi
Lobby Level, Jupiters Hotel & Casino
Web: jupitersgoldcoast.com.au/restaurants/kiyomi
Open for dinner Monday to Saturday, 5:30pm until la