Its DNA is Japanese but this dark and moody wine bar brings so much more to Oxford St

Is Oxford Street … back? The hoardings are finally down, the bike path to Taylor Square is open and there are new additions to the neighbourhood, including gelato specialists Mapo. Aenza, an Australian-Japanese wine bar, opened in July, just 100 metres away from its three-year-old sibling sake bar Amuro on Crown Street.

A nine-metre-long, dark timber counter anchors Aenza’s open kitchen, and calculated ambient lighting creates an intimate atmosphere. It’s a wonderfully designed 50-seat space (from Like Minds Studio) that immediately feels like an escape from the hectic footpath outside.

This is where owner-chef Joy Liu wants to flex her creativity with head chef Josh Liu, free from the borders of Amuro’s more traditional Japanese menu. Aenza’s DNA is still Japanese, with the familiarity of soy, sansho, miso, Hokkaido scallop, kombu and karaage chicken. But the menu feels more Australian, too, with seafood such as Murray cod, royal red prawns and bass grouper. Then there’s the exploration of dishes with roots from outside Japan, including mapo tofu and sweet-and-sour lamb ribs.

You’ll likely start with sashimi, and snacks such as a tomato wedge marinated in umeshu and topped with miso cream-cheese and white anchovy: so much freshness, umami and acidity in one bite. Paradise prawn and pickled chilli wrapped in shiso leaf is an interesting bite, with the shiso slightly out-muscling the crustacean, but it’s still thoughtful, measured cooking, with the addition of fried leek for much-needed crunch.

Liu commands both the pass and the drinks, and of the 120 bottles on the wine list, more than a quarter are available by the glass. I’m drawn to the concise list of Japanese wines, which aren’t a common sighting in Sydney. The 2016 Shimora Koshu is a freshly acidic white made from koshu grapes in Japan’s Yamanishi prefecture. Its honeyed sweetness is subtle and stands up to the seafood.

Liu recommends the bluefin tuna sashimi without hesitation, where two cuts (the leaner akami and fattier toro) are dressed lightly in tosa soy (a bonito-infused soy sauce) and sprinkled with marinated sansho peppercorns. As you work your way through the menu to the larger plates, the food ascends to more direct flavours. I can’t recall a more expertly grilled Murray cod, where the skin is crispy and charred but the flesh remains incredibly tender. The sustainably farmed fish is butterflied and halved, with two sauces on the plate: a fermented yellow capsicum and confit garlic number, and a shiso chimichurri. Each bite is different depending if you choose one or both sauces: acidic, sweet, salty and savoury. You must order it.

It wouldn’t be a new Sydney restaurant opening without a steak on the menu, which comes as a wagyu rib-cap paired with daikon. The beef is great (smoky, buttery, rich) but the puck of daikon steals the show. Intensely braised in dashi, it might be the most Japanese item on the menu. And the audacity to serve it with the steak – top marks for that. Meanwhile, the soft tannins from a 2023 Grape Republic Rosso (from Japan’s Yamagata prefecture) are a nice contrast to the umami-heavy beef.

Desserts are made in-house by sous-chef Ping Li, and I’m still thinking about the Basque cheesecake with Burgundy-poached pear. The cake’s texture was jiggly and barely set, almost like chawanmushi, with an unctuous flavour. I’ll be back to try the chiffon cake, baked daily.

The only downside of Aenza is perhaps the cramped format of the two-seater tables. Space was at a premium, with food menus, a drinks list, glasses, plates and cutlery on the table. But when the food is so tasty, does that even matter? Sequels, they say, are never as good as the original, but Aenza bucks the trend.

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