When it comes to creating bespoke dining experiences, Kim, James and Robbie are well-versed in the art. Having spent the last five years fine-tuning their skills across the four Light Years venues (Burleigh Heads, Byron Bay, Newcastle and Noosa). Moonlight represents a departure, of sorts, from Light Years’ varied menu to offer a more curated and intimate style of dining that showcases a modern take on traditional hibachi – one of Japan’s oldest cooking traditions. Robbie, who is also executive chef, has worked closely with Moonlight’s head chef Vaught Williams to take flavours from classical Japanese cuisine and reinterpret them into unexpected and punchy dishes. Dishes such as the watermelon sashimi, which has been dehydrated, roasted and dressed with yuzu-infused EVOO, shiso and sesame to resemble the texture of traditional fish sashimi. Broken into three sections – raw, hibachi and something more, the succinct single-page menu begins with tastes of spicy tuna and kingfish before moving onto the establishment’s true hero – hibachi, which is cooked over smouldering charcoal. Diners can delight their taste buds with bites of succulent chicken thigh with togarashi, scallops with café de nippo, king oyster mushrooms with shiitake tare and wagyu steak with umami butter. Those seeking ‘something more’ can side their hibachi selections with the ‘3 Bite Sanga’ featuring pork katsu, spicy mayo, cucumber and Bulldog sauce, and furikake fries.

Accompanying the menu of fare is a strong selection of biodynamic wines that were picked according to the lunar cycle, a nod to a holistic method of winemaking from the 1920s that is believed to result in a better-tasting bottle of wine. Those more cocktail-inclined will not be left disappointed, with an elevated cocktail list that honors the flavours and textures of Japanese cooking – think highballs made from homemade soda, natural garnishes foraged from the hinterland and hand-carved ice. Of course, no Japanese dining experience is complete without sake, and Moonlight offers hot and cold drops from some of the oldest sake breweries in the world, some dating back to 1505. It isn’t just the food and drinks that set Moonlight apart from its sibling venues. Where Light Years favours a palette of bright, bold colour, Moonlight is quite the opposite – moody, monochromatic and intimate. The quaint 45-seater was designed by Melbourne’s Weekdays Design Studio and draws inspiration from elements of Japanese dining and architecture bringing together textures of stainless steel, concrete, cork, and timber to deliver a striking and inviting space to while away an evening with a whisky in hand.

Moonlight Hibachi & Wine Bar is now open for dinner Wednesday to Sunday. Jump over to Moonlight’s website to make a reservation. 

Images: Jessie Prince