New Gold Coast Japanese restaurant chef’s surprising career change revealed
Kozo Mitsuyama’s new Asian eatery serves up knock out flavour and dishes from his little-known home town of Japan — but it’s his past career that could put you in a spin.
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THE glorious thing about food is that it transcends language. When words fail, dishes speak and flavours are for everyone.
Southport’s new Japanese restaurant Goto captures the culture of owner Kozo Mitsuyama’s home region, Goto (translating to “five islands”), a place with an abundance of treasures to catch from the sea.
“Goto is where he grew up, a rich island, a really natural beautiful island, so much nature,” Kozo says, through the help of friend, colleague and translator Kazuhiko Takeo.
“He had many gifts from the ocean when he was young.”
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Goto’s food is authentic Japanese, as close to the dishes found in his birthplace as possible, not influenced by Western tastes and preferences.
“In Japan, Osaka, Tokyo, there’s many popular places, but not many people know about his Japanese food and culture,” Kazuhiko continues on behalf of Kozo.
“So he wants to introduce the food from where he grew up to Australia. Its character and core — he’s proud of it.”
Such unapologetic reflections appear in the strong focus on raw fish dishes, fresh ingredients cooked with little oil, as well as a new kind of noodle bowl he’s hoping will become the new ramen.
“The concept (of the restaurant) is sushi and sashimi, and a kind of noodle — champon,” Kozo says.
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“Champon is my hometown traditional noodle soup. It is a kind of ramen.
“Nobody knows the champon. The champon is lots of vegetable on top of the noodles, more healthy than the normal ramen. People are going to like it.”
Kozo has been working as a chef for 10 years following a career as a professional MMA fighter (for real — look him up online).
He retired from the sport and became a chef, learning how to cook dishes in a relative’s restaurant in Japan. His culinary journey brought him to Australia on a working holiday visa where he became the head chef at Reef Seafood and Sushi at the Brickworks, Southport, before opening this new venture in December.
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The fit-out was designed by OJ Thompson and echoes the layout of an eatery in Japan, with communal seating and an open kitchen. It features pale timber furnishings and framing, including a trestle-like table in the centre, and a mural of a Goto sunset on the back wall.
While Kozo says Goto is Japanese food that Japanese people will enjoy, there’s nothing exclusive or intimidating about the feel of the restaurant. He and his staff are warm and welcoming, with the flow from the food preparation to consumption areas encouraging connection and interaction.
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Plus there’s plenty of sake, umeshu and Asahi beer on tap to bolster friendships.
“I like eating and drinking,” Kozo laughs.
“Sometimes I create something off my original menu and when the customer tries it they look so happy, so I’m so happy.”
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Goto is open from 11am Monday to Friday for lunch and dinner, and from 5pm for dinner on weekends at 3002/9 Lawson Street, Southport
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