Borneo-born Chef Esca Khoo is taking over the Moonhouse kitchen on Tuesday, 25 October, to deliver a 5-course exploration of Neo-Asian and Hong Kong flavours, including a Moonhouse signature cocktail on arrival.

Esca comes with a wealth of culinary experience, having worked at top restaurants such as Noma in Sydney and Melbourne’s Dinner by Heston Blumenthal. Esca’s recent tenure as Head Chef of the Movenpick Hotel’s Miss Mi allowed him to create his own menu, where he paired time-honoured Asian techniques, ingredients and flavours with modern cooking methods. Esca’s signature is his creative combination of Malaysian and Australian flavours. A dish created for Miss Mi - barbecued kangaroo skewer in Vegemite glaze with avocado and a macadamia nut satay - perfectly encapsulates his life, “half lived in Malaysia, half in Australia”. Esca's creative and playful no- rules approach to dining saw Miss Mi earning a Good Food Chef's Hat in 2021.

"I am delighted to be collaborating with Moonhouse, a restaurant that delivers a fun, contemporary take on traditional Chinese cuisine. I love cooking that reflects my Australian/Malaysian background, where I can showcase the intersection of Asian and Australian flavours in contemporary ways. I cannot wait for diners to sample my Hong Kong-inspired menu with the Esca touch." Says Khoo.

This is your last chance to sample Esca’s cuisine before he departs Australia to open his first restaurant in Malaysia.

Menu highlights include:

• OG pickles
• Braised cashew nuts
• Crispy whitebait typhoon shelter
• Sang Choy bow of caramelised boar
• Glutinous pumpkin cake and bacon XO
• Steamed oyster with potato and crab tomalley
• Scallop, octopus & prawn chee Cheong fun, citrus, kelp dressing
• White cut chicken, corn, garlic, mustard, and parsley oil
• House spam fried rice with grilled char siew pork chop
• Triple egg and pork mince
• Fragrant spring vegetables
• Chickpea tau foo fah with vanilla and ginger syrup
• Hong Kong-style French toast with sesame and pecan butter

Commune Group Creative Director, Simon Blacher says, "I have been following Esca’s career for a while now. His approach to Asian food as a whole is very exciting. We cannot wait to have him at Moonhouse before he leaves Australia to take over the world.”

Event Details
Date: Tuesday, 25 October 2022
Time: From 6:00 pm
Address: 282 Carlisle St, Balaclava VIC 3183
Price: $145 per person
Tickets: https://www.sevenrooms.com/experiences/moonhouse/esca-x-moonhouse-8395330122 

About Moonhouse
Commune’s newest restaurant, located on the prominent corner of Carlisle Street and Nelson Street in Balaclava, opened in May 2022, bringing Chinese cuisine in a bistro setting The kitchen team includes Executive Chef Anthony Choi (Cumulus Inc., Firebird, New Quarter Group), Group Pastry Chef Enza Soto (Brae, Baker D. Chirico, Bibelot, New Quarter and Firebird) and Head Chef Shirley Summakwan (Tokyo Tina, Hanoi Hannah Volume II, New Quarter). Together the team will express the intersection of flavours in contemporary ways. 

Address: 282 Carlisle St, Balaclava VIC 3183
Website: moonhouse.com.au
Instagram: @moonhouse_melbourne