JuJu

JuJu arrives in Mermaid Beach with a wink and a flourish, the hottest new opening in Nobby’s where sleek lines and a modern fit-out set the tone. This is a two-storey affair: a high-end restaurant downstairs for long, lingering dinners and a rooftop bar above where DJs shape the tempo and the night gathers pace.

In the kitchen, precision meets playfulness. Lighter plates nod to the coast and native botanicals: freshly shucked oysters with a sake and peach mignonette, and sashimi of white fish lifted by lemon myrtle, koji cream and burnt citrus. It is a culinary language that straddles Japanese technique and contemporary Australian sensibility, favouring clean flavours, deft textures and quiet confidence.

Mains steer into deeper waters and richer cuts. Glacier 51 toothfish is scented with soy, kombu, ginger and lemongrass, finished with a dusting of furikake, while dry-aged duck breast courts indulgence with berry, foie gras, parsnip and cherry jus. The signature wagyu range, from striploin to tomahawk, invites ceremony, with red wine jus or smoked bone marrow jus waiting in the wings. Sides stay classic and comforting — potato mash with bone marrow jus and chive, truffle fries — before desserts pirouette between textures of raspberry and tarragon and the decadent Chococo.

Drift upstairs for beef cheek taco with basil and chicharrón or a Wagyu Sando on sweet bread with caramelised onion and house-made burger sauce. Settle in, take your time, and let the good JuJu find you.