Sydney chef Junda Khoo has finally brought his iconic Malaysian eatery to the CBD.
Malaysian-born Junda Khoo’s Ho Jiak has four iterations across Sydney, including the hatted Town Hall restaurant. Now, Khoo has brought his thrilling brand of Malaysian cooking to Melbourne with a three-level, three-in-one venue on Rainbow Alley in the CBD.
The first two venues opened in late May: fast-casual Da Bao, serving home-style Malaysian dishes on street level, and beer hall Ho Liao, doing Malaysian classics with a twist on the top floor. But the jewel in the crown, Ho Jiak – Junda’s Playground, opened in mid-June on the level between them.
Here, tamarind-powered Assam laska comes not in a big steaming bowl, but magicked into an icy granita with slivers of raw kingfish. The green-chilli-based sambal ijo is mashed up with the herbs of chimichurri to make a fiery accompaniment for grilled John dory. And hand-picked Northern Territory mud crab crowns the smoky char kwai teow noodles.
Most dishes are entirely new and exclusive to Melbourne because of Khoo’s newfound obsession with Victorian produce such as Loddon Valley Lamb. The rump is char-grilled and served with cumin and pepper curry. But there are some Ho Jiak signatures that made the journey south including “laksa bombs” – all the elements of laksa soup packaged into a dumpling. A single ground-floor kitchen services all three venues.
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