The 8-seat venue promises a Korean dining experience like no other.
Omakase is having a real moment on the Sydney dining scene, with the opening of Besuto in Quay Quarters last month and Chase Kojima’s Senpai Ramen arriving in Chippendale, but none of them are doing Omakase like Kobo. Although traditionally a Japanese concept, Chef Jacob Lee is translating Omakase into a first-of-its-kind Korean dining experience in Sydney’s hottest new dining precinct, Quay Quarter Lanes.
Kobo is the brainchild of Chef Jacob Lee (AGFG Hatted, Executive Marble, Executive Tokki), who is on a mission to demonstrate his love for his homeland of Korea. Kobo is a culinary workshop for Chef Jacob, a space for him to re-engineer regional dishes onto a contemporary platform and incorporate Japanese and Australian influences honed over time. And the best part, we’re all invited to watch him in action.
Tucked away in Sydney’s new Quay Quarter Lanes, a solid marble chef’s table is front and centre, seating 8 guests at a time for an intimate omakase (meaning “I leave it up to you.”). This style of dining allows guests to enjoy a menu broken down into “Episodes” with each episode featuring a core focus on a culinary moment of Chef Jacob’s life.
‘Episode one’ will be centred around Jeju Island, a province famous for its vast seafood, rich soil, unique mandarins known as Hallabong and a black pig (Jeju Heuk-doeji) that is praised for its firm-textured meat.
“My family would often travel throughout Korea, seeing, tasting and learning more about our rich culture. Eventually our travels landed us in Australia which opened my eyes to the dynamics of Japanese and modern Australian cuisine. KOBO has no rules, from a traditional Jeolla dish, to meticulous Japanese to sophisticated modern Australian steeped in Korean roots.” – Chef Jacob Lee
The intimate omakase setting creates a unique experience in which guests can not only hear stories from the chef himself, but also relish a rare opportunity to learn about Korean cuisine from a master of his craft. With very few Korean venues in Sydney, Kobo is the perfect setting to begin your Korean culinary adventure, learning why each ingredient is used, techniques displayed and flavours created.
Everything from ingredients to even the tableware has been sourced by Chef himself, with a priority on working closely with small independent suppliers and producers.
“KOBO is the culmination of my childhood, my studies, my travels, my new home, and my heart, expressed through KOBO, my workshop, my life’s journey. KOBO is just ME.” Chef Jacob Lee
Kobo is now open Tuesday – Saturday with two sittings available. Find out more and make a booking here.
