Former MasterChef Australia competitor and pastry chef Reynold Poernomo has brought his popular dessert restaurant, Koi Dessert Bar, to Melbourne.

Reynold first opened Koi Dessert Bar in Sydney in 2016 with his mother Ike Malada – also a pastry chef –  and brothers Arnold and Ronald, where it soon garnered a cult following. Koi Dessert Kitchen, a bar called Monkey’s Corner and a flagship Koi restaurant all followed.

The Melbourne arm of Koi Dessert Bar was opened in July following a lengthy wait, and features a 42-seat dining space as well as a state-of-the-art kitchen and retail offering. There’s also a chef’s counter where Koi will hold multi-course plated dessert degustations – something the Sydney team is well-known for.

Reyonld told Hospitality Magazine that Melbourne represented the pinnacle of creativity and culinary excellence in Australia.

“The venue and space at Queen & Collins echoes the identity we’ve shaped over the years, and is a place where our commitment to innovation, art [and] flavour can come to life,” he said to the publication.

Koi’s signature desserts, celebration cakes, and drinks will all be on offer at the Melbourne restaurant, alongside a range of newly developed items that will be unique to the store. These will include a tatin of mixed spice crumble, cinnaom apple, caramel and cream cheese, while the ‘Carlton’ will combine pandan with coconut, mango and almond.

There will also be a strong focus on Southeast Asian flavours.

“We always keep our constant, French foundational pastries like entremets in different flavours – a lot of Southeast Asian flavours, a lot of East Asian flavours – because that’s what we love to eat,” Reynold said to Broadsheet.

“For us, [opening in Melbourne is] such a new thing. We don’t know anyone here. We don’t know suppliers; a lot of equipment and tools we had to get from Sydney because we have the relationships there.”