Darlinghurst is about to welcome a new Japanese wine bar, with Aenza opening its doors tomorrow, 5th August, at the Oxford & Foley development on Oxford Street.
The new 50-seat venue is the second restaurant from hospitality owner Joy Liu, following the success of Amuro, the intimate saké-focused counter venue in Surry Hills. While Amuro built its reputation on a hidden, Tokyo-inspired dining experience, Aenza expands the concept with a larger space, a broader menu and a drinks program centred on wine.
A larger home for Liu’s vision
Located just a short walk from Amuro, Aenza has been designed to retain the interactive atmosphere that made the original venue popular while giving diners more room to settle in.
“Amuro showed us how much people wanted to connect with each other over food, and we didn’t have the space to do everything we wanted. Aenza gives us that room, a bigger kitchen, a longer bar, and space for a proper wine list, while keeping the same open kitchen and the same idea of guests talking to the team,” Liu said.
Also, she added that although the scale has changed, the restaurant’s philosophy remains the same. “At Aenza, the scale is different, and so is the drink focus… But what we’ve kept is the heart of it, that open kitchen, and guests close enough to watch, to talk, to feel part of what’s happening.
She further described the “theatre of an open kitchen, and that connection you only get when you’re close enough to chat to the chefs mid-service. Bringing people together with good food, curated drinks and warm hospitality.”
Japanese flavours with an Australian perspective
The menu interprets Japanese cuisine through an Australian lens, with dishes prepared around a central open kitchen. Smaller plates include umeshu tomato with miso cream cheese and white anchovy, paradise prawns with pickled chilli and shiso, karaage chicken with spiced salt and takana mayo, and twice-cooked sweet and sour lamb ribs finished with sobacha.
Larger dishes feature MB9+ Kiwami wagyu served with daikon and wasabi, charred cauliflower with brown butter and Comté, grilled Murray cod with shiso and pepper and hapuka with bonito butter and shallot.
Desserts continue the Japanese-inspired approach with a chiffon cake roll topped with miso caramel and candied walnut, soy milk pudding with jasmine syrup and a Western Australian black truffle Basque cheesecake.
Wine takes centre stage
However, unlike Amuro’s saké-led offering, Aenza places wine at the heart of its beverage program. Restaurant and beverage manager Paul Beaton (formerly of Tetsuya’s and Quay Restaurant) has curated a list of 120 bottles focused primarily on producers from Japan, France and Australia. More than 38 wines will also be available by the glass.
The drinks menu extends beyond wine to include Japanese whisky, gin, shochu, umeshu and rotating weekly saké selections. Signature highballs include White Peach Calpis, Japanese Americano and Toki Whisky Yuzu.
A heritage-inspired dining room
Designed by Like Minds Studio, Aenza embraces the heritage character of the Oxford & Foley building through rendered walls, natural patina and ornate ceilings.
Granite finishes, timber furniture and a sandblasted steel canopy complement a nine-metre American walnut bar with seating for 23 guests. Natural materials and understated detailing draw inspiration from traditional Japanese restaurants, while a wabi-sabi-inspired wall light serves as the venue’s focal point.
Aenza opens tomorrow, Wednesday 5th August, at Shop 07, 90 Oxford Street, Darlinghurst NSW 2010 and will trade for dinner from 5pm, Wednesday – Monday.
