Celebrated Sydney chef Junda Khoo is behind Hot-Listed Malaysian restauarant Ho Jiak. He's brought the concept to Melbourne via a trio of venues set across three storeys in the revamped Tivoli Arcade.

Sitting on the top floor, Ho Jiak: Junda’s Playground is the final piece in the chef’s $7 million Malaysian CBD food destination.

It’s not fusion or fine dining, but Khoo’s own playful take on Malaysian food. A curry puff is stuffed with blue cheese and served with a blue cheese dip. Assam laksa (a sweet and sour fish broth-based soup from Penang) is frozen, made into a granita and served on top of raw hiramasa kingfish.

Only a handful of dishes from Ho Jiak in Sydney have made the leap: roast duck, Khoo’s Masterchef-famous laksa bombs (dumplings designed to distil the taste of a bowl of laksa in one bite), and his signature char kway teow topped with mud crab.