Restaurateur Chris Lucas has announced his new three-level Japanese restaurant in Melbourne, Kisum, will be helmed by executive chefs K S Moon and Shaun Presland.
Situated at 175 Flinders Lane, Kisum, is The Lucas Group’s latest project. Other venues in the group include Chin Chin, which is preparing to expand into Sydney, Baby, Hawker Hall, Gogo and Kong BBQ.
Korean-born executive chef K S Moon is described as ‘a sushi craftsman’ and holds a number of certifications including being blowfish (fugu) certified. He’s also an international sake sommelier.
Moon was previously working at his Singapore venue, Mikuni, and prior to that was selected by Giorgio Armani to open his international Japanese restaurant at The Armani Hotel in Dubai. He also spent time at the Hotel Okura in Tokyo.
Joining Moon is executive chef Shaun Presland, who worked in Tokyo before going on to open Nobu in the Bahamas followed by Sydney’s Sushi-E and then the original Sake in The Rocks.
The Lucas Group’s general manager of Wine, Philip Rich, will be joined by Markus Tschuschnig, former food and beverage director of the MASA omakase restaurant in New York. The duo will curate the venue’s extensive wine and sake program.
Lucas said “My daughter Holly was born in Tokyo so this restaurant opening is a very personal one. It’s the culmination of years of hard work and fulfils a dream that one day I could do justice to the beauty and elegance of Japanese food right here in my home town.
“I'm also very proud that world-class talents like chef Moon, Shaun and Markus are making Melbourne their home, along with their families, which is a huge personal commitment and recognition of Melbourne's standing as one the great food cities of the world."
Kisum is slated to open in May 2017.
