Sokyo

The Star is filled with smart, sophisticated restaurants, and Sokyo is arguably the best. If you have an aversion to gambling, it’s possible to bypass the jingle-jangle of the casino floor entirely in order to enter. Just look for a glossy wall of black fish scales.

San Francisco-born chef Chase Kojima’s global career kicked off at the famed string of Nobu restaurants. At Sokyo, he’s mentored executive chef Daniel Kwak, who heads up a large open kitchen which stretches long down a dark, moody room lit by hanging metallic lamps.

The sashimi menu runs the gamut of the ocean, from New Zealand scampi to Tasmanian sea urchin and salmon belly and South Australian abalone. Then there’s a range of impeccably fresh sushi rolls and a tempura menu (try the Moreton Bay bug), plus an entire section dedicated to skewers cooked over the Robata charcoal grill.

But perhaps the best way to experience Sokyo is to take your place at the intimate omakase counter (open Monday to Thursday) and let the chefs guide you through 20 theatrically prepared courses. With only six seats, the omakase is coveted and reliably books out a month in advance. But guests who miss out on a reservation can enter a ballot to snap up two seats on a date selected by the restaurant.

The drinks list runs to the tune of almost 30 pages. It includes signature cocktails, sake, umeshu and craft beers from Japan’s Baird and Hitachino breweries. Wines are mostly from France and Australia.

A Japanese-inspired breakfast banquet is also available. Start with fresh fruit and golden pastries. Then, it might be crispy tempura hash browns, spanner crab onigiri and udon soup with fresh-caught seafood from Sydney Fish Market. Also – an elevated take on a classic avo toast, Sokyo-style.