I reviewed Joji about six months ago and in a word – LOVE! LOVE! The word on the street is that Joji has had a glow-up, so we need to taste what all the fuss is about. It’s got a new chef duo who are taking one of my favourite rooftop dining spots to new heights in more ways than one. This isn’t your average menu refresh – it’s a full Japanese personality transplant.
The New Chef Team
JŌJI Sydney has pulled off what can only be described as a culinary power couple situation, and honestly, we’re here for the drama. Head Chef Kihoon Kim has swooped in with a CV that reads like a sushi hall of fame (Bay Nine, Besuto, Sake—basically everywhere you’ve desperately tried to get a reservation), bringing his quietly intense, zen-master precision. Meanwhile, Kim’s working alongside Executive Chef Erik Ortolani (ex Itō), who’s completely reimagined the à la carte menu with my preferred style of larger-format, shareable dishes designed for proper feasting.
The New Menu
Choose your adventure – raw, not raw and sides. We take our seats in a comfy round booth.
A bowl of scorched edamame sets the tone with lashings of perilla furikake. No restaurant menu needs another Kingfish sashimi, but Kim’s version is a creative plate of macerated tomato made by pressing green tomatoes in rice wine, white soy, and left to sit for 24 hours straight before being served with wasabi oil. The balance of acidity, texture and sweet flesh is addictive.
Their signature dish of New Zealand King Salmon maki is layered with midori salsa, cucumber and avocado. The one thing we notice is that the rice is a little bit browner than normal. That is because in their sushi rice, they use a type of black sugar -Japanese black rock sugar as the sweetener. The soft, chewy rice has a delicious flavour. Suprisingly it is the vegetarian maki which I love even more with the addition of a pickled radish, takuan which gives it a fabulous crunch.
Charlie is serving us. He is foodie encyclopedia of flavor combinations and technical know-how as he walks us through a beautiful nigiri plate: The first is an Haikado scallop with nori butter on top. The second is NZ King salmon belly with a mustard layer. Third, a Bluefin belly with wasabi sesame, then the red snapper with a sesame chili oil and chives – each nigiri has it’s own flavour profile which is superior in every way.
Two big king prawns cooked on the hibachi grill are painted with tamari, maple syrup, and butter. They are a sweet-savory revelation which has us licking our fingers ungracefully– and we’re not sorry about it.
The duck katsu sando is served on soft milk bread with confit duck leg, garlic, ginger, cucumber and a much loved house made Bulldog tonkatsu mayo of slow cooked date and apple – has all the right flavor notes but need more structural integrity in the bread department to hold up. My favorite Joji menu item – their bug sando for me is still the superior option and needs to feature a come back at some point in my opinion.
Can we talk about that karaage for a hot minute? It is marinated overnight in soy butter, tossed in more brown butter, then crumbed and fried again. Served with smoked turnip mayonnaise and a lime squeeze that transforms the whole experience. It’s the kind of dish that makes you question why you ever settled for regular fried chicken. Meanwhile the eggplant cooked on the hibachi with black garlic glaze, yuzu chili, and goma dressing (Japanese tahini) is proof that vegetables can be the hero of the plate when treated with this much respect.
Whatever you do, don’t miss the broccolini side dish. This baby isn’t your average brassica either. Marinated then cooked sous vide at precisely 30 degrees before hitting the hibachi grill, dressed with olive oil and nori for an unforgettable umami hit. This vegetable has a PhD in flavour.
We could have ordered some mighty fine cocktails, but a Coedo Japanese beer hits the spot, so does a glass of Clover Hill Brut.
The mochi situation here is next level. Charlie states that he “Could eat a hundred of these, it’s so savory and so moorish,” – I agree. The coconut and taro sorbet is wrapped in sweet, thin rice paper is what mochi dreams are made of. Then there is a red miso chocolate mousse, walnut praline, and white miso banana custard. Both are decadent in completely different ways, and honestly, why choose?
Sydney from above has never tasted so deliciously complicated, and frankly, we couldn’t be more addicted to what these two are cooking up in the clouds.
What we are addicted to: We’re hooked on the generous share plates, the clever twist on kingfish, karaage, and maki so perfect it’s pure rice poetry—a sensory throwback to Besuto. And Charlie? Impeccable. His eye for detail elevates every dish, even pausing to present a chunk of Japanese rock sugar like a culinary artifact. It’s thoughtful, effortless theatre.
What we need to be more addicted to: The Duck sando needs More architectural support to match its ambitious flavor profile, and while we’re nitpicking, bring bag the bug sando please!
Joji Sydney Level 5/388 George Street, Sydney Tue-Sun from 5pm
JŌJI also debuts Social Saturdays, to disrupt the classic bottomless lunch. A shared chef’s menu and 90 minutes of free-flowing French rosé or beer, will be amplified with live DJs and musicians. Tickets are $120pp, with a cocktail upgrade available for $30pp.
