Try something unique at this Neutral Bay restaurant
Jicca Dining has been delighting Neutral Bay locals with its original creations for four years. The Italian/Japanese seafood bistro is owned by chef Ken Takenaka, who came to Australia 17 years ago to pursue his passion for food.
“Jicca is my Australian dream come true. We opened in January 2020, just before COVID,” Ken says. “We started as a spaghetti restaurant, but we have changed to a Japanese-Italian fusion restaurant because customers started to ask for more Japanese flavours.”
Born and raised in Japan, Ken fell in love with Italian cuisine when he was 18 years old. He was inspired by British celebrity chef Jamie Oliver, who he’d watch on television.
“I got a big impression from Jamie Oliver. He can cook whatever he wants, using a lot of ingredients, even for basic food. Within just 10 or 15 minutes, he creates such beautiful dishes. I was shocked and I wanted to be a chef like him,” Ken says with a smile.
Then at 19, Ken worked in an Italian restaurant in Japan. “I’ve never been to Italy, but there are many Italian restaurants in Japan. I had a lot of Italian food when I was young, so I thought that maybe I would try to mix it together.”
Ken also got his inspiration from the variety of fusion restaurants in Japan that base their culinary concepts on sosaku, which means ‘creative’ in Japanese. Merging the flavours and artistry of his homeland gastronomy with the homey feel of Italian cuisine, Ken brings creativity to each dish.
The house speciality: the spaghetti, is a delight. The salmon ikura dish is cooked to perfection; while the mentaiko, spaghetti with funghi, is made with a traditional Japanese herb named shiso, giving it a unique flavour.
“Spaghetti is not just one thing. We can create many kinds of sauces to add to it. We use garlic based cream sauce, tomato sauce, wine and also ingredients from Japan like soy sauce, miso sauce and so on. What I can with those ingredients, vegetables or meat, is unlimited and fun,” Ken says.
Visit Jicca and surprise your senses with the best of the Italian and Japanese culinary worlds.
Jicca Dining
Shop 1/99 Military Rd, Neutral Bay
Phone: 0450427199
jiccadining.com