The Wright Cut: Spotlight on Executive Chef Chef Derek Kim at Garaku, Prefecture 48
“The Art of Simplicity: Chef Derek Kim’s Kaiseki Vision at Garaku”
At Wrights The Butchers, we know that quality produce is only half the story.
The other half? It lives in the hands of the chefs who bring it to life, shaping it, honouring it, letting its true character shine.
This philosophy is at the heart of The Wright Cut, a campaign that celebrates those chefs, their stories, their craft, and their unwavering pursuit of excellence. In this edition, we step inside Garaku at Prefecture 48, a new standard in modern Kaiseki dining, and meet its Executive Chef, Derek Kim.
Craft Meets Culture at Garaku
Tucked within Sydney’s refined culinary scene, Garaku is more than just a restaurant. It’s a stage where tradition and innovation dance in harmony, and every dish is a carefully composed note in a seasonal symphony.
With just 16 seats at the exclusive chef’s table, Garaku offers an immersive dining experience inspired by the Japanese art of Kaiseki, a centuries-old form of haute cuisine that celebrates seasonality, purity, and presentation. Each course tells a story, and each season reveals a new rhythm.
The restaurant’s striking centrepiece, MISE-EN-SCÈNE, is a custom spatial installation by Tokyo-based artist Hiroto Yoshizoe. Known for his award-winning work in experiential design, Yoshizoe’s pixelated digital tapestry captures the duality of the performance, the order of the imperial stage against the energy of the kitchen behind it. It’s the perfect visual metaphor for what Garaku represents: harmony between theatre and technique.
And at the heart of Garaku’s Spring menu? Pardoo Wagyu proudly supplied by Wrights The Butchers.
Chef Derek Kim: From Tetsuya’s to Garaku
With a career that spans continents and cuisines, Chef Derek Kim brings a wealth of experience to his role at Garaku. Formerly Executive Head Chef at Tetsuya’s, Derek has also spent time honing his craft in Europe, absorbing classical technique and European philosophies at restaurants like Public Dining Room and Restaurant Copenhague.
His food philosophy is grounded in discipline, respect for ingredients, and a quiet reverence for flavour.
“My food represents a balance between the traditions of Kaiseki and how we interpret the seasons here in Australia through a contemporary lens, every dish is a small story that connects Japan’s seasonal philosophy with the incredible produce we have here.”
Wagyu as Art: The Role of Pardoo Wagyu
In this season’s tasting journey, Takeda 10 and Pardoo Wagyu are given the spotlight. For Derek, choosing a cut is not just about richness or marbling; it’s about depth, integrity, and provenance.
“When the product is raised with intention, you can taste that quality,” he says. My job as a chef is to bring out that natural character without disguising it.”
On the current and past menus, diners will experience three standout expressions:
Takeda 10 Wagyu, black garlic purée, kombu-confit mushrooms, crispy salsify
Takeda 10 Wagyu, pickled sansho pepper, grilled sugarloaf cabbage, parsnip purée
Hassun Skewer Pork jowl & Wagyu tongue, fire-grilled and delicately glazed
Each dish explores the full range of Wagyu’s personality, from warming and indulgent to light, playful, and fresh. But the real magic? It lies in what isn’t done to the beef. No overworking. No masking. Just intelligent restraint, and deep respect for the ingredient.
Why Pardoo Wagyu Sets the Benchmark
Pardoo Wagyu is no ordinary beef. The story begins in Western Australia’s Pilbara, where entrepreneur Bruce Cheung set out to create a vertically integrated Wagyu operation that merges pure Japanese genetics with the Australian outback’s mineral-rich terroir.
What followed was Pardoo Station, and the formation of Australia’s first fully traceable Purebred Wagyu community from genetics to plate. Today, Pardoo is revered by chefs for its consistent marbling, buttery texture, and rich umami depth that performs across slow cooking, grilling, or raw applications.
For chefs like Derek Kim, that pedigree matters.
Wrights The Butchers: Behind Every Great Cut
Behind every great chef is a trusted purveyor. At Wrights, we’ve built our business on long-standing relationships, deep respect for craftsmanship, and a fierce commitment to quality. From hand-selecting each animal to maturing premium cuts to exacting standards, our role is to support chefs, not just supply them.
Wrights’ Director Clayton Wright has over 30 years of experience working hand-in-hand with Australia’s most demanding venues. He knows the expectations. He knows the standards. And he knows that chefs like Derek are not just buying meat, they’re buying trust.
Whether you’re creating a tasting menu rooted in Japanese elegance or firing up the grill at a top-tier bistro, quality starts at the source. And for Chef Derek Kim at Garaku, that source is Pardoo Wagyu, delivered with precision and care by Wrights The Butchers.
Because in the world of fine dining, less is more…
And with the right cut, the story writes itself.
