Toko hits the spot and presses nostalgia buttons

There's a new Toko! That's good news for those who grew up on the Moreton Bay bug tempura and miso sweetcorn of the Surry Hills original (2007-2022).

In fact, the two people on the table next to mine are swooning over meeting up with their favourite spicy tofu dish again, with its topknots of avocado salsa and chilli threads. "I must have had this 30 times," says one. "It's like meeting up with an old friend again."

In that sense, this is not a new Toko at all, but a direct descendant in a new location. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" is the mantra, but for two things: it's moved horizontally into the CBD, and vertically down into the basement.

Architect Matt Darwon plays off his original Toko design with bespoke joinery, timber furniture, black wooden floors and a gorgeous curved, slatted, timber exoskeleton ceiling.

The space may be newly square, but houses a similarly lively, flexible mix of communal tables, two-tops, generously curved booths, handsome open kitchen and a very cool private dining room.

Even the staff look familiar, with 13 members of the Surry Hills team on board, including head chef Sunil Shrestha and manager and sake sommelier Paul Birtwistle.

There was rumour of new dishes being added to the menu, but for now it's an anthology menu of greatest hits, seemingly drawn from global restaurant brands Nobu, Roka and Zuma. It's what people want from Toko – nigiri sushi, miso eggplant, wagyu gyoza, saikyo miso black cod, and barbecue pork ribs.

Meticulously sliced kingfish marinated in truffle ponzu with finely chopped chives and a dice of pickled daikon ($27.50) is Toko on a plate, a pretty mix of traditional and contemporary.

Moreton Bay bug tempura with yuzu kosho mayo ($34.80), their play on Nobu's popcorn shrimp, is still a big order, but mine tastes a bit bland.

Nigiri sushi goes luxe here, loaded with sea urchin or seared wagyu. Scampi nigiri is even more over the top (two, $29.80), the fingers of rice topped with raw scampi cloaked with shaven frozen foie gras, a cube of soy jelly hidden inside.

I'm increasingly curmudgeonly about playing with nigiri, and prefer the eight-piece seasonal selection ($28.80). The precisely carved alfonsino, trevally, tuna, snapper, salmon, scallop and two others that passed me by have clarity, diversity and value.

Ales include the always-excellent Asahi Super Dry and the dramatic Asahi Black, while the sake list is a deep dive, with a Tosa Shiragiku Bihappo Junmai from Kochi ($12), that's cloudy but surprisingly floral and fresh.

What's missing? Chopsticks rests. Are they not cool anymore? Well, neither is clearing my plate and disposing of disposable chopsticks three times in the course of a meal. If we had rests, I could keep it down to one pair. Deforestation, folks.

Toko has always gone that extra step to gild the lily, but there's a new maturity to the cooking and saucing.

Their signature lamb cutlets (three, $43.80) used to be overly sweet, now they're more subtly marinated in miso before hitting the robata, with a lively swish of miso and pickles on the side.

In fact, you could take anything from the robata and be happy, especially the pork belly yakitori (two, $17.80), pressed into bricks and sizzling from the grill.

We're in the CBD, so it's espresso martinis all round, but there's another dessert-in-a-glass on offer. A yamazaki sundae ($18.50) has a jumble of elements – coffee mousse, whisky foam, chocolate brownie, chocolate sorbet, butterscotch and chocolate tuiles – when in truth, the first two are so good together, they would be enough.

But that's Toko, innit? Never knowingly under-played. Japanese food that hits the spot. Pressing nostalgia buttons for those who worked and played through the noughties.

And ready, like the rest of us, to go to work in the city, and have a good time doing it.

The low-down

Vibe Japanese greatest-hits comes into town

Go-to dish Pork belly skewers with spicy Korean miso, $17.80

Drinks Japanesed cocktails; stimulating French and Australian wine list and smart selection of sake and Japanese whisky

Terry Durack is chief restaurant critic for The Sydney Morning Herald and senior reviewer for the Good Food Guide.