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Moon Park takes over Luxembourg Bistro, Melbourne

Sydney's long lost Moon Park is popping up down south for a Korean-Mexican collaboration.

Luxembourg Bistro's dining room

Remember Moon Park? That sleek Redfern eatery that opened in Sydney in 2013, putting modern-Korean food firmly on the map. It closed late last year. Sydney-siders will remember it well, Melbournians probably less so. But that will change later this month when chef Ben Sears brings Moon Park back, and down south, for a six-night takeover at St Kildaโ€™s Luxembourg Bistro

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The week-long pop-up, named Zona Rosa after Mexico Cityโ€™s Koreatown, will see Sears collaborate on a Korean-Mexican menu with Luxembourg chef and owner Chris Watson. The pair cooked together more than a decade ago at Andrew McConnellโ€™s restaurants Three, One, Two and Cutler & Co.

โ€œMoon Park was totally unique and thereโ€™s still nothing like it,โ€ says Watson. โ€œThis is an opportunity for people to experience Benโ€™s cooking but also something new and a bit different.โ€

The โ€œnew and a bit differentโ€ part is the duoโ€™s unique take on Korean and Mexican flavours. Along with a selection of beloved Moon Park classics (hello, shrimp-brined fried chicken with soy and maple syrup) Zona Rosa will feature numerous new dishes such as chilli con carne ssam tacos, Korean corn cheese, fajitas with bulgogi kalbi [grilled beef short rib] and a hybrid Pocky-churro dessert. โ€œThe ideas are all a bit vague but itโ€™s coming together,โ€ says Watson. โ€œProbably one of the best things weโ€™ve come up with is the al pastor tacos โ€“ weโ€™re marinating the pork in gochujang [Korean chilli paste], and serving them with pineapple kimchi.โ€

Related: our favourite Korean recipes.

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The takeover will feature an ร  la carte menu spanning bar snacks, small plates, around five different tacos, a few larger dishes and dessert, or you can leave the menu entirely to the chefs to decide for $65. Diners are being advised to book, but walk-ins will also be encouraged. โ€œSwing by for a can of beer and some fried chicken, or book in for the whole deal,โ€ says Watson. 

And what does Andrew McConnell think? โ€œItโ€™s rewarding to see a chef Iโ€™ve mentored in the past doing something as interesting and creative with their career as Ben Sears has with Moon Park,โ€ he says. โ€œItโ€™s a thrill to have him back in one of my kitchens.โ€

Zona Rosa: Moon Park at Luxembourg will run from Tuesday 21 February to Sunday 26 February at Luxembourg Bar & Bistro, 2/157 Fitzroy St, St Kilda, Vic, (03) 9525 4488,  luxembourgbistro.com.au

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