CHRISTCHURCH
Bar Yoku IN BRIEF
A friendly and cosy urban izakaya serving Japanese food with a twist.
WHY CHOOSE THIS RESTAURANT?
Whether you opt for small plates or the Gochiso (chef’s feast), this is delicious, flavoursome dining for any occasion. With more options than you can try in one visit, you’ll definitely want to come back. Service is friendly, attentive and relaxed.
ABOUT THE CHEF
Shawn Mcgowan has cooked at Nomad, Sydney and has been head chef at Christchurch institutions The Monday Room, OGB and The Bicycle Thief. Shawn’s passion for Japanese cuisine was solidified after a trip to Japan with his wife Juliana. Tokyo’s small tucked-away bars gave him inspiration to put his own slant on Japanese food.
ABOUT THE FOOD
Shawn makes extensive use of Japanese ingredients while paying due homage to some of New Zealand’s finest. The menu boasts vast seafood offerings, local silken tofu and Black Origin wagyu.
The sushi taco is a crowd pleaser. Raw Black Origin wagyu with a spicy kick was an explosion of balanced flavours. Other sushi tacos include soft-shell crab and tempura prawn. The grilled groper fish collar on a black pepper tare sauce with sesame and charred lime was a standout.
The yakitori options are many and
varied, including some adventurous parts of the chicken: reba (liver) cooked pink was perfectly creamy and is also offered well-done; hiza nankotsu (knee joint) was succulent and juicy, and both are served with tare sauces. The agedashi tofu was delectable with an outstanding ginger broth. Vegan fried karaage ‘Fricken’, with spiced cauliflower and vegan aioli was vegetable comfort food at its finest, while pickled cucumbers with fresh herbs were refreshing – perfect midway through our meal.
An on-point beverage list offers Japanese spirits, Japanese-influenced cocktails and a sake menu. The wine list is a curated handful of well-chosen, mostly New Zealand, wines. Staff are knowledgeable about both Japanese and New Zealand food and beverages. When we asked our waitress what sweet options were available , she told us they don’t do dessert or coffee yet, but that we could purchase these at other businesses in the Welder precinct. I believe they may be considering adding these to the menu in the future, which would be a positive and welcome development.
ABOUT THE TEAM
New Zealandborn husband-and-wife team Shawn and Juliana Mcgowan have a long and successful history working together in hospitality, both here and in Australia. Their first stint together in New Zealand was at Amisfield Winery, then onto Pegasus Bay Winery where Shawn was first sous chef then head chef, and Juliana was maître’d. Juliana is renowned for her incredibly warm hospitality, evident in Bar Yoku’s service.
FISH & SEAFOOD
CLAMS
Barbecued storm shell clams with karengo miso butter & zucchini 84
Cloudy Bay clams, wakame, citrus & chilli 65
Storm shell sashimi with confit fennel & shichimi togarashi 82
Tuatua omelette 23
CRAYFISH
Crayfish grilled on Marlborough salt with black garlic & wild pepper butter 65
FISH
Fish fingers 28
Grilled salmon with warm nectarine & apricot salad 96
Kiwi classic fish burger 24
Pan-fried crispy skate with ponzu sauce 103
Raw fish Korean-style with gochujang, rice cakes, bean sprouts & sesame 72
Raw fish Mediterranean-style with tomato, saffron, orange & fennel 74
Raw fish Singapore-style with tamarind, curry, coconut & kūmara 78
Raw fish with tomato, smoked paprika, olive & capsicum 78
Raw fish with turmeric, lime, ginger & herbs 74
Roasted hāpuku with sweetcorn succotash 68
Smoked butterfish, fennel remoulade, black barley crisps 62
Whitebait Japanese custard 100 Whole flounder with capers, lemon & butter 103
MUSSELS
Mussel & mushroom mince 23 Pickled greenshell mussels with coastal vegetables 62
OCTOPUS
Chargrilled octopus, smoked eggplant purée & dukkah 87
Octopus & potato salad 87
Slow-cooked octopus with eggplant & tomato 87
PĀUA
Chilled pāua, shiitake & watercress dan dan noodles 92
Pāua kebabs 92
SCALLOPS
Grilled scallops with sweet chilli sauce & crème fraîche 100
VEGETABLES & VEGETARIAN
SALADS
Carrot & grilled capsicum salad with goji dressing 108
Charred sweetcorn, mango & moong dal salad with sesame ginger dressing 112
Fennel remoulade 62
Roasted red onion & purple potato salad with black olive dressing 112
Shaved cauliflower salad with pickled daikon, grilled haloumi
& caper dressing 106
Simple tomato salad 96
Zucchini & green bean salad with pumpkin seed & coriander dressing 108
DESSERTS & BAKING
Bush honey & hazelnut tart, citrus labne & fresh berries 68
Olde Beach Bakery doughnuts 119
Peanut butter, chocolate & honeycomb bar 16
Spiced pear, Earl Grey chocolate & hazelnut taco 20
ACCOMPANIMENTS
Apple compote 120
Black garlic rouille 74
Crème pâtissière 121
Dashi 100
Dukkah 87
Fish sauce caramel 26
Fish sauce dressing 26
Fish sauce rub 26
Ponzu sauce 103
Soffrito 26
Sweet chilli sauce 100
Tartare sauce 24
DRINKS
Cocktail #17 18 White Negroni 20
CREDITS INDEX
Props supplied are listed. Others are privately owned.
Acme acmecups.com Blackbird Goods blackbirdgoods.co.nz Kirsten Dryburgh instagram@dryburghpottery Miss Tash Ceramics misstashceramics.bigcartel.com Galit Maxwell galitmaxwell.com Homeground homeground.nz
IN THE SWIM (page 70)
Brown oval plates (page 71) by Kirsten Dryburgh; large pale green plate (page 76) by Galit Maxwell; stone salt dish (page 77) by Homeground.
MOANA FRESH (page 80)
Cutlery from Acme; bowl (page 85) and plates from Miss Tash Ceramics; tea towel (page 81), enamel spoons (page 83), salad servers and glasses from Blackbird Goods; vase by Louis Kittleson from Blackbird Goods.