When it comes to running restaurants, Simon Gloftis is a perfectionist. It’s a good trait to have, especially when your hospitality portfolio inhabits one of the world’s best hotels, which itself sits smack-bang in the middle of Brisbane’s most high-profile dining strip.

It also explains Simon’s affinity for Japanese fare – a cuisine rooted in its own pursuit for perfection – and the methodology behind Sushi Room, the crown jewel of the St Albans brand, which Simon heads up alongside Theo Kampolis.

Since opening in 2022, Sushi Room has held a special place of reverence among foodies. Offering a nuanced yet exacting take on Japanese fine-dining, a booking at Sushi Room entails a premium dining experience. And while every aspect of the restaurant was finely considered from the jump – from the hand-selected seafood to its imported ceramic tableware – it might surprise you that there was one thing missing that gnawed at the meticulous part of Simon’s brain.

“I always wanted the entrance to be off Doggett Street,” says Simon, with a chuckle.

Last week, Simon finally got what he had long wanted – plus a bit more. On Friday May 30, Sushi Room pulled back the curtain on a brand-new extension, which has seen the restaurant expand into a neighbouring shopfront on the ground-floor of The Calile Hotel.

“It was the shop that I always wanted,” Simon tells us. “When it became available, I said to the landlords, ‘I’m taking it.’”

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In addition to scoring a brand-new entrance, the expansion has allowed the group to construct a 30-seat casual bar and dining space geared towards impromptu walk-in visits and pre-dinner drinks. And while the move gives James Street wanderers the opportunity to indulge in the Sushi Room experience without a booking, Simon says the project was really about actualising the vision for the restaurant he had from the start.

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“If I want something, I just can’t stop until it’s perfect,” says Simon. “I build [restaurants] for myself and hopefully there’s enough people that like what I like. This isn’t about making Sushi Room more accessible because we thought it needed to be more accessible – it was just what we always wanted from the start.”

A whirlwind refurbishment process has removed all traces of the site’s previous shopfront identity, with long-time collaborators Richards & Spence implementing a design that contrasts with the monochromatic neo-futuristic aesthetic of the dining room, but retains the same level of craftsmanship and contemporary elegance.

Upon entry, guests are greeted by a marble bar sitting beneath a mirrored glass ceiling installation. A strip of cushy stools run along the bar front, while an alfresco dining space is lined by comfy upholstered booths (there’s also a DJ nook in the corner). An operable window opens the space up to Doggett Street, with a few extra brushed-steel tables lining the footpath. And while the space opens up new avenues for guests as far as utility is concerned, Simon guarantees that the essence of Sushi Room conveys here as well.

“It’s still going to be the same experience – it’s still the same level of service, still the same level of quality, but now you can make a decision on a Friday afternoon at 4:00 pm that you want to come in and have something,” says Simon. “I love that people can now decide to come to Sushi Room last minute and it wasn’t that type of venue in people’s heads before.”

A few tweaks were also made to Sushi Room’s original space, but the 9.3-m solid Japanese Hinoki timber sushi bar remains the venue’s focal point.

“The restaurant itself hasn’t really changed,” explains Simon. “We’ve added a couple of booths, we built in a few more banquettes and switched the bar over.”

Sushi Room’s full menu, which is available in the new bar and dining space, also remains largely unchanged, with head chef Shimpei Raikuni overseeing an offering that is predominantly dedicated to the intricate art of sushi and sashimi preparation.

Starters like the spicy tuna on crispy rice (a must-try signature akin to Hellenika’s zucchini chips) and snapper usuzukuri lead into a jaw-dropping selection of nigiri and sashimi (including otoro tuna, uni and Kagoshima sirloin), which is then followed by a procession of sushi rolls (filled with the likes of bug tempura and wagyu foie gras), tempura dishes, grilled morsels and chirashizushi.

“We’ve added a couple of dishes that we were just going to add anyway,” Simon tells us. “Edamame is one of those things that we never had before, but so many people keep asking for it we figured that, as we’re doing this bar, it might be a perfect match anyway. So let’s do it now.”

With his vision for Sushi Room now realised, Simon is excited for a new crop of diners to experience the restaurant’s top-tier brand of hospitality. When asked what he thinks underpins the venue’s reputation as one of Brisbane’s pinnacle dining experiences, he’s got an answer locked and loaded.

“We just buy the best every single time – whatever the best available is, we’re buying it,” says Simon. “There’s no real trick to it other than that, but we do it every single time.”

“We are proud to serve customers our product,” chimes in Shimpei. “Simon always says ‘no skips, no shortcuts, do everything properly.’ That is Sushi Room.”

For Sushi Room’s operating hours, contact details and booking information, head to The Directory.