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On a cold night like this, it would make sense to stay at home. But no, I’m venturing out in the wind and rain – to pay good money for the right to cook my own dinner.

Astro, the latest offering from David Bae’s entrepreneurial Kolture group, is named for the poignant anime character Astro Boy, a robot created by the fictional Dr Tenma to replace his dead son.

It’s a barn of a place in one of the main avenues of the township of Barangaroo, and the interior has Nordic timber mixing it with electric pops of neon and rows of booths fringed with rippled glass.

Each table is dominated by a large, round, built-in brazier. It’s a bit squeezy for long legs, but that just adds to the communal feeling of cooking by fire. One click, and the round logs of binchotan charcoal at the base turn red-hot and faces glow as if sitting around a campfire.

Astro is a rebrand from the previous Korean barbecue concept Soot (which is moving to Double Bay), with more snacks and more accessible prices.

“I’ve always wanted to combine Japanese and Korean in a modern Asian grill,” says executive chef Jacob Lee, last seen tending the omakase at the group’s Kobo and even more exclusive (eight seats) Matkim.

The meats here are beautifully prepared. And beautifully cooked, if I say so myself.

City pop fills the air, a genre that runs from the Bee Gees to Michael Jackson and Miki Matsubara. The food has the same charged, but ultimately easy-going vibe, and it’s very easy to cover the table – apart from the brazier – with small, funky dishes.

Chawanmushi ($16) comes a-tremble, topped with salmon roe, crunchy corn kernels and burnt butter, and pork gyoza ($18 for six) are thin-skinned and porkily juicy, sauced with a tangy