Aenza

The Verdict

Tucked away in a tiny Darlinghurst space lies Amuro, a 20-seat, boutique saké room that has captured the hearts of locals with simply dressed sashimi, rice bowls and one-bite seasonal desserts that marry together Japanese and European influences. The only problem with keeping your circle small? It makes it nearly impossible to diversify the offering—so, for owner Joy Liu, it only made sense to expand. 

Enter Aenza, now open in the Oxford & Foley development on Oxford Street, a short walk from Amuro. It's Liu's second venue, taking the same idea that made Amuro work and opening it up into a bigger, wine-led format.

"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," says Liu. "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."

The 50-seat venue is anchored by a 9-metre American walnut bar with seating for 23, designed by Like Minds Studio around the building's heritage-listed entrance. Rendered walls and natural patina have been retained and paired with textured granite, timber furniture and a sandblasted steel canopy, with a wabi-sabi wall light serving as the space's focal artwork. It's an understated, materials-led design, reminiscent of traditional Japanese restaurants, and a clear through-line from Amuro's own aesthetic.

"At Aenza, the scale is different, and so is the drink focus, we have a full wine list here and a complete drinks program," Liu says. "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. It's 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."

The menu reads Japanese food through an Australian lens, built around a central open kitchen. Small dishes include umeshu tomato with miso cream cheese and white anchovy, paradise prawn with pickled chilli and shiso, karaage chicken with spiced salt and takana mayo, and twice-cooked sweet and sour lamb ribs with sobacha. Larger plates run to MB9+ Kiwama wagyu with daikon and wasabi, and charred cauliflower with brown butter and comté. To finish, expect a chiffon cake roll with miso caramel and candied walnut, and a black truffle Basque cheesecake.

The beverage program is overseen by restaurant and beverage manager Paul Beaton (ex Tetsuya's, Quay Restaurant), and centres on a 120-bottle wine list drawn primarily from Japan, France and Australia, with more than 38 available by the glass. Beyond wine, there's Japanese whisky, gin and shochu, umeshu and Japanese liqueurs, and a sake selection that rotates weekly. Highballs include a white peach Calpis, a Japanese Americano, and a Toki whisky yuzu.

Aenza is open for dinner, Wednesday to Monday from 5pm.

Image credit: Aenza | Supplied