Mu Omakase

High-end degustation dining with smooth service.

November 11, 2024

1 / 9Almond tea with grilled king prawn.supplied

2 / 9One of Canberra’s most intimate dining rooms.Supplied.

4 / 9Tiger prawn tempura with tamarind yuzu salt.Supplied

5 / 9Chawanmushi (steamed egg custard).Supplied

7 / 9Grilled Hokkaido scallop, XO sauce, salmon roe.Supplied

8 / 9Saikyo-yaki Patagonian toothfishSupplied

9 / 9Inside the moody dining room.Supplied

15.5/20

Japanese$$$$

The Chairman and Yip team has long navigated changing local dining tastes, and this is another deft pivot. Hunkered within the shiny modernity of Constitution Place, Mu fills a Canberra market niche – “trust the chef” omakase dining.

Chuck Yu crafts delicate small plates of contrasting flavours and textures, such as raw squid “noodles” on top of apple puree with anchovy sauce, and nigiri of bluefin tuna belly, delicately smoked and dressed with shiitake mushrooms and pickled daikon. From the robata grill, toothfish arrives with charred skin and translucent flesh, lifted by hazelnut miso and finger lime.

Sommelier Jasmine Choi, meanwhile, guides patrons through the diverse sake offer, and also oversees a mean drinks pairing. The 12-course tasting menu (and its price tag) might deter public servants eschewing high-end corporate hospitality, but it’s a worthy big occasion outlay given the refined cooking, smooth service and intimate mood-lit dining space. Classy stuff.