
Chef Junda Khoo has opened Tam Jiak at Sydney Fish Market, and the menu goes well beyond seafood.
The 110-seat restaurant is a sibling venue to the Ho Jiak Group, sitting beneath the market’s timber-beamed roof with curved banquettes, a central bar and an outdoor terrace.
In Hokkien, Tam Jiak translates to gluttony, and the menu is built around that idea. Khoo said, “We celebrate the joy of loving food a little too much.”
Vibe: Water-facing modern Australian design with a touch of ochre warmth reminiscent of an Asian dining room
Menu Highlights: Tom Yum bomb, Malaysian chilli mud crab, crispy eggplant and black duck
Cost: $65-150 pp for a full meal + a drink
Dietary Considerations: Vegetarian and Gluten Free options available
Khoo is self-taught, inspired by his grandmother’s cooking in Kuala Lumpur, and famously left a career in banking after a year and a half to pursue cooking full-time. He is now one of Australia’s leading voices in modern Malaysian cooking.
Rather than leaning into the seafood-only expectations of the precinct, he has put together a surf-and-turf menu that pairs market-fresh seafood with premium meats and bold Malaysian flavours.
Malaysian surf, turf and more
Heading up the kitchen alongside him is Head Chef Loong Oon, former Head Chef of Mr Wong and also the chef behind Amah by Ho Jiak in Chatswood.
Highlights on the menu include Scallop Cheong Fun with sea scallop, seared rice roll and foie gras sauce, Mud Crab with a choice of Malaysian chilli, black pepper, salted duck egg or ginger and shallot sauce and Black Duck glazed in squid ink with Yunnan rose jam and pancakes. Khoo’s MasterChef Australia-famous Tom Yum Bomb also makes an appearance.
Smaller bites feature the Ho Jiak signature Crispy Eggplant and the Soy Pudding with Lychee and Rose Jelly is worth saving room for, best paired with a Lychee Spritz.
Tam Jiak is open daily from 11 am at Sydney Fish Market, accessible via on-site parking, full wheelchair access and Wentworth Park Light Rail station. Kids’ meals are available and free on Sundays.
Source: Curated Agency
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