Doju

Behind a quiet Little Collins Street frontage, a modern Korean kitchen builds its cooking around the three great fermented pastes, ganjang, doenjang and gochujang, and treats them as the point rather than the seasoning. Chef Mika Chae works in high definition, so a familiar staple arrives reframed: gochujang folded into a sourdough focaccia, LA galbi cut from well-marbled beef, banchan made in-house and changed with the season. The fermented depth of long-aged doenjang runs underneath much of the menu, and even dessert gets the treatment, a hotteok pancake served with artichoke ice-cream that reads as playful rather than gimmicky. The room aims for quiet elegance, softly lit and unhurried, more a space for lingering than a quick meal, and the bar keeps pace with its own signatures, including a house martini built for the food. There is a sense of a kitchen documenting its own culture: the same hands that plate the tasting menu also run kimchi-making classes and farm-focused workshops that feed back into what appears on the plate. Open for weekday lunch and dinner most nights, it is Korean-Australian cooking with real intent and a light touch.