After more than a decade among the crisp white tablecloths at Caveau, Wollongong’s most celebrated restaurant team has opened a second Keira Street eatery.
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A Cantonese-inspired dumpling house, the Asian flavours and shared dishes at MoChi - which opened on Tuesday - are a far cry from the French degustations for which Peter and Nicola Sheppard have become known.
However, there will be quite a few similarities between the two venues.
‘‘When we opened Caveau, we opened it to serve the style of food we wanted to eat and we’ve done the same this time,’’ Mr Sheppard said.
‘‘So if Nicola and I and the children are going out we generally end up having dumplings or similar, so that was the driving force.’’
‘‘And there is a distinct similarity between Chinese and French food, not in technique as much as in the idea of taking a quality ingredient and treating it quite simply but with a lot of respect.’’
The menu will also draw on the same produce suppliers used at Caveau, and includes South Australian pippies, sustainable fish, richly-marbled wagyu beef and a completely Australian wine list.
Ms Sheppard said she hoped the modern Asian menu would tap in the market between the ‘‘young, hip’’ new bars and restaurants and the high-end Caveau.
‘‘We want to fill that gap and give grown-ups somewhere to go out for dinner that’s a little bit cheaper and different,’’ she said.
Just one day in, the new venture has set the city’s dining scene abuzz; it was fully booked for opening night and space is already tight for the upcoming weekend.
The Sheppards have had their eye on the cavernous space at 157 Keira Street, across the road from the Illawarra Hotel, which has housed various Thai, Indian and other Asian eateries over the past 10 years.
With the help of Thirroul’s Nest Emporium, they have completely transformed it into a bright white and blue room punctuated by leafy indoor plants.
A bar and lounge area is designed for cocktails and casual dumplings, while smaller tables and large circular dining areas were designed to allow space for people to share seafood, meats and noodle dishes.
As for Caveau, which has been awarded a chefs hat for 10 years running, Mr Sheppard is adamant it’s in good hands.
‘‘I’ve got a team in place at Caveau who have been with me for a long time, for four years, so in order to keep quality people you need to keep creating opportunities and new avenues for them,’’ he said.
‘‘That’s part of the reason I wanted to open this restaurant, so I’ll be spending most of my time here for now and then overseeing both.’’
