Overview
Part of North Sydney’s fine dining boom, Toki Bistro & Bar is a fusion of everything there is to love about French and Japanese cuisine in a space that looks as good as everything tastes. Sitting across from the colourful Miji Bar & Grill, with which it shares an owner, Toki feels like the yakitori joint’s elegant sibling that spent a year abroad and came back home with impressive new skills.
The space is designed after Parisian bistros, blending a marble bar, mahogany flooring and classic red seating with dark stone tables and vintage glass chandeliers. Park up in the public dining room for an à la carte meal or set dinner, or book one of the private dining rooms to enjoy the set menu to the fullest. Head Chef Jay Choy brings that same overseas-learned skillset to the kitchen, with Michelin-starred hours under his belt in the US and a top ten nomination from San Pellegrino’s Young Chef Awards. Wines are of Australian, French and Asian varieties, and the cocktails are designed to accompany the menu.
Said menu takes this union of culinary styles and applies it to a unique storytelling method: a multi-course journey through life’s most significant moments. It works best in its set form as a chronological dinner, but can be ordered in parts à la carte and with extra sharing-size dishes. Highlights include the spatchcock with miso stew, corn and fried chicken; Marron Udon with beurre blanc and lobster bisque; and the Bone Marrow Custard with bacon jam, uni and ikura on a crumpet.
Diners in the private rooms get the story from cover to cover. Chapter one opens with three courses signifying the early stages of life, including Sydney rock oysters topped with a citrus shiso mignonette and bluefin tuna in a sweet potato crisp. Chapter two is where one learns to embrace the complexities and challenges of life, with an Amaebi Tart with a zesty citrus cream and yuzu tamarind dressing, and the house signature Chicken Liver and Unagi.
Chapter Three is the last main course, portraying the stage of life when you’ve (hopefully) got it all figured out. Dishes include marron served with al dente ravioli in a lobster bisque, plus a succulent eye fillet served with parsnip puree and beef jus. The tasting menu’s final chapter symbolises when life slows down, with the likes of a strawberry sabayon topped with cardamon foam and a petit four.
