Three hospitality figures have teamed up to launch Moonlight – a restaurant that heroes produce that hits the hibachi and biodynamic wines.
Light Years Restaurateurs Kim Stephen, James Sutherland and Executive Chef Robbie Oijvall secured a space on Bay Lane in Byron Bay and have appointed Vaughn William as head chef of the new venue.
Moonlight’s culinary direction is very much centered around the hibachi, with the team putting the foundational Japanese charcoal grill front and centre.
“It was important to create a menu that heroes … one of Japan’s oldest cooking traditions.” says Oijvall.
“We want to fuse this traditional cooking method with modern and unique flavour combinations to excite our modern taste buds.”
The menu is split into three sections: raw, hibachi and sides.
Patrons can kick-start a meal with oysters served natural or with tosazu and yuzu; kingfish with ginger and yuzu vinaigrette or watermelon ‘sashimi’ with yuzu extra-virgin olive oil, shiso and sesame.
Chicken thigh with house togarashi and lemon; pork belly with nori and apple tare; Hokkaido scallops with cafe de nippon butter and finger lime and Wagyu with umami butter and Japanese mustard round out the hibachi section.
A pork kastu ‘three-bite sanga’ is teamed with cucumber, spicy mayo and Pecorino; white cabbage slaw, prawn katsu with yuzu tartare and cucumber with ginger, sesame and fermented chilli rayu form the sides list, with all dishes set to switch out according to seasonality.
In line with Moonlight’s name, wines have been selected according tot he lunar cycle and are made in line with biodynamic practices.
There’s also a cocktail list by Jason Lindsay (Vue de monde; Lilly Blacks) and a selection of sake and Japanese whisky.
Moonlight is open for dinner from 4pm Wednesday to Sunday.