Time to get your zucchini pancake and fried chicken fix. The team behind Redfern’s Moon Park has announced they will not renew the restaurant’s lease when it comes to an end in September this year, just shy of three years in business.
Rumours of a relocation have circulated for a while now and potential sites have been inspected all over the city, including Barangaroo, but nothing has been the right fit so far. For now co-owner Ned Brooks is looking to focus on his wine-importing and distribution business, Brooks & Amos, and also the birth of his first child, while co-owners and co-chefs Ben Sears and Eun Hee An focus on spending more time with family and friends. Both chefs will also travel back to Korea to spend time in Hee An’s homeland.
“We’re very proud of the restaurant’s achievements, being listed as number 58 in the Gourmet Traveller restaurant guide two years in a row has been a really big accolade,” says Brooks. “When we opened there was a lot of hoo-ha about Korean food being the next big thing, and that sort of remains to be seen, but three years later we’re still really busy. In the end we’re not so much about being a Korean restaurant as we are just a great drinking and dining destination. But for now it’s just time to focus on other things outside the restaurant.”
It’s a destination that’ll be missed. Service will continue as normal up to June 18, when Hee An and Sears travel to Lombok for a cooking demonstration. Then from July 5 Moon Park will revert to a single set menu highlighting brand-new dishes and some classic hits from the early days. Look out for the poached chicken with rose petals and pine nut sauce, and the ultra-popular sea biscuit – Sears and Hee An’s sea urchin on a flaxseed cracker.
Moon Park’s final service will be September 24.
Moon Park, 34 Redfern St, Redfern, NSW, Tues-Sat 5.30pm-10pm, moon-park.com.au.
