Kiyomi by Chase Kojima at Jupiters Hotel and Casino, Gold Coast

What's a kiyomi? It's a small Japanese citrus fruit that has been cross-bred from a tangerine and an orange. Kiyomi is also the name of Chase Kojima's newest restaurant, opening late last year at Jupiters on the Gold Coast. The executive chef of Sokyo doesn't just have a thing for casinos. Jupiters Gold Coast and The Star in Sydney are both owned by Echo Entertainment Group.


Jupiters Gold Coast

If you follow Grab Your Fork on Instagram, you'll know I spent last weekend on the Gold Coast, invited by Jupiters to dine at Kiyomi. Dinners, flights, accommodation and one hotel breakfast were included. It sounded like a perfect girls' weekend to me.


Kiyomi dining room

Kiyomi opened in mid-December. It's part of a huge $345 million overhaul of the hotel and casino, one that will include a new tower with luxury accommodation suites, a rooftop pool and additional restaurants.


Group table seating

There's a cool sense of Japanese minimalism in its design. Groups get bench seating alongside striking murals, couples sit on high bar stools running through the centre of the room and small groups score the tables overlooking the cavernous atrium. It's all been put together by Sydney design company Luchetti Krelle whose comprehensive hospitality portfolio includes ACME, Momofuku Seiobo and Single Origin Roasters.


Yuzu Collins $18
Tanqueray gin, kakushigura shochu, yuzu juice, grapefruit bitters and soda

There are plenty of alcoholic distractions to keep you occupied before your food arrives. The Yuzu Collins is probably one of the lighter cocktails, adding yuzu juice, grapefruit bitters and shochu to the classic Tom Collins. Yuzu juice is a Japanese citrus that tastes like grapefruit mixed with orange.


Tengumai umajun junmai sake $10

And it's hard not to stare at the sake servers, little glass carafes with a recessed hollow for ice. It means the sake can chill without being diluted. The sake menu includes ten types of bottles. There are only two available by the glass but they're not too pricy at $9-$10.

The wine list runs over 100 deep with the majority of those available by the glass set at $9.


[Clockwise from bottom left]: BBQ eel $12; tamago $8; tuna $12; and salmon belly $12

Foodwise, the menu concept is not dissimilar to Sokyo, focussing on modern Japanese. The choose-your-own sashimi options are a little shorter here (a dozen at Kiyomi versus 19 at Sokyo) but we're impressed that they make their own soy sauce here, poured generously into a little saucer at the table.


Scallop, yuzu honey, scorched corn and mache $18

I want to order everything on the raw menu but we contend ourselves with the scallops to start. There's probably a little too much yuzu honey dressing so it overwhelms the delicate sweetness of the scallop, but crunching on the scorched corn kernels is kinda fun.


Seared scampi with foie gras, apple and mizuna $9 each

The presentation of the scampi is pretty hard to beat though. It's a dramatic and elegant offering, the scampi shells resting on the bed of ice across a bamboo leaf path.


Foie gras, apple and mizuna on top of seared scampi

In the middle of the plate is the seared scampi dressed with apple, foie gras and mizuna. We tackle this as a one-bite affair. There's the sweetness of the scampi accented by the tart crispness of green apple batons and tiny pops of rich foie gras that meld everything together. It's the undoubted highlight of the meal.


Aburi salmon with spicy daikon, yukari and tosazu $19

We move onto aburi salmon sushi. The dab of grated daikon packs a spicy punch but we wish the blowtorching across the top was a little smokier.


Queensland roll $23
Spanner crab, soy paper and avocado

It didn't feel right to visit Queensland without trying the Queensland roll. Visually it's quite unlike an sushi roll you've ever seen, a stark construction of green and white. The soy paper doesn't have the same chewy resistance as nori seaweed so the sushi roll feels much softer, especially with the flaked spanner crab in the middle and the avocado puree across the top. A scattering of puffed rice adds much welcomed crunch.


Dengakuman toothfish, caramelised miso and cucumber $37

The dengakuman toothfish isn't a large serve for the $37 price but the caramelised miso glaze wins you over in both aroma and taste.


Wagyu +7 oyster blade, citrus jus and baby gem $37

The wagyu is cooked on their binchotan, a special grill that uses white charcoal that enables lower cooking temperatures for longer. The oyster blade steak has a plump juiciness but truth be told it's the baby gem lettuce that steals the show for us, whole leaves cooked on the grill so they pack an incredibly smoky punch. It's a glorious combo of smoky caramelised sweetness and crunch.


Crispy rice and spicy tuna $20

Chase Kojima's signature crispy rice with spicy tuna is here too.


Crispy rice beneath spicy tuna

The little logs of deep fried rice are one heullva party in the mouth. We wish there'd been more of the promised spice in the tuna though.


Tempura cuttlefish with amigo powder and tarragon ponzu $20

Tempura cuttlefish is a fine way to finish. The cuttlefish is thickly sliced but soft in texture. As for the tempura batter, it's impressively light and fluffy, catching a snowstorm of amigo chilli powder in all its crevices.


Dessert tasting plate trio: Mango shiso (full size $13)
Mascarpone and sour cream, sushi meringue, toasted milk powder and mango sorbet

The kitchen saves us from sweet tooth indecision and sends out a tasting platter of three mini desserts.

Mango Shiso is like a refined version of Eton Mess, a palate-cleansing medley of fresh mango, mango sorbet, shiso meringues and dollops of mascarpone and sour cream.


Apple jack (full size $13)
Confit apple, gingerbread, honey ice cream, Jack Daniel's foam

Apple jack combines poached apples with honey ice cream, gingerbread cubes and a scoop of honey ice cream. Jack Daniel's foam adds an adult twist but the toffee tuille brings out the kid in everyone.


Goma Street (full size $14)
Tempered dark chocolate, caramelised white chocolate mousse, black sesame ice cream

We have a welcome reunion with Goma Street too, another Sokyo classic. We crack our way through discs of dark chocolate layered with caramelised white chocolate mousse and shards of black sesame candies. The quenelle of black sesame ice cream is nutty and smooth.

Am I the only person who sees the name of this dish and immediately starts singing the Sesame Street theme song?


Kiyomi reception


Superior king room (base level accommodation)

Our visit included a complimentary night's accommodation in the hotel.

Superior king room desk and television

The rooms are reasonably spacious but it's worth asking for a view over the pool - otherwise you'll be backing onto the casino atrium which can get noisy at night, especially on weekends.

The chocolates by Kiyomi at the top of this post were delivered to our rooms just before dinner. They looked far too pretty to eat but I managed one anyway. The orb of white chocolate was sandwiched with a zingy yuzu cream.


Breakfast buffet at Food Fantasy $30 

Breakfast the next morning was at Food Fantasy. The prospect of a buffet breakfast always makes getting out of bed easier.


Buffet decorations


Decisions, decisions

There's a comprehensive selection of hot dishes, Continental cheeses and cold meats, plus mini carafes of freshly squeezed juices.


Steamed chicken dim sim dumplings

Steamed chicken dim sims made for a mini morning yum cha. And I was super excited about having congee rice porridge. We noticed a significant number of Japanese tourists both in the hotel and on the Gold Coast, something you don't often see in Sydney anymore.


Crispy bacon rashers

Bacon? Tick.


Waffles

Waffles. Oh baby.


Maple syrup tap for waffle drenching


Breakfast: congee, hash brown, chicken dim sims, bacon, waffle, fruit salad and apple beetroot juice

This was a great breakfast. Let's pretend we didn't follow this up with a donut tour (more on that to come shortly).


Outdoor swimming pool

Although it was drizzly when we first landed, we ended up being blessed with magnificent weather for most of the weekend. The outdoor pool was ridiculously warm.


Lounge pods

And I found the perfect lounge pod for a post-swim nap.

Grab Your Fork dined at Kiyomi as a guest of Jupiters Hotel & Casino. Return flights from Sydney, one night's accommodation and breakfast at Food Fantasy was included.




Kiyomi
Jupiters Hotel & Casino Gold Coast
Broadbeach Island (off Gold Coast Highway), Broadbeach, Queensland
Tel: +61 (07) 5592 8443 or 1800 074 344

Opening hours:
Tuesday to Sunday 5.30pm - 10pm


Related Grab Your Fork posts:
Sokyo at The Star, Pyrmont