Hideki expands to The Valley with bright new James Street izakaya
James Street has just welcomed a brand-new resident to its midst — one that might already be familiar to foodies. Hideki has expanded to the glitzy strip, opening a new izakaya-style location that’s luring in diners with a menu of Japanese-inspired eats, from sushi and sashimi to chargrilled yakitori and moreish miso eggplant. Come and take a peek …
When Joe Chagoury and Wasim Ghanem were scouting for sites to house their Japanese-inspired bar and eatery Hideki, they had two locations at the top of their wish list – The City and James Street.
As two of Brisbane’s most in-demand hospitality hubs, vacant real estate is at a premium. However, Lady Luck smiled on Joe and Wasim during their search, not only delivering them a plum spot on Burnett Lane (the space previously home to Alba Bar & Deli) but, almost simultaneously, presenting the duo with another empty tenancy on James Street.
“We found the spot in Burnett Lane and the building had the bones for something that we thought we could translate into the full vision of what we wanted,” recalls Joe. “It was similar to those little places that you find walking around the streets of Tokyo or Nagoya and we ended up falling in love very quickly – when we looked at that, we knew we had to have it.
“As soon as we signed that paper for Burnett Lane, James Street popped up.”
With a James Street location secured, Joe and Wasim elected to work on Burnett Lane first, transforming the laneway locale into a remarkable restaurant that blended a moody palette of colours and textures with slick, high-end details. Only once Hideki had found its footing on Burnett Lane did Joe and Wasim turn their attention back to Fortitude Valley’s glitzy strip.
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Early this month, Hideki Izakaya opened on James Street. Housed predominantly in a pint-sized space (the former home of The Yiros Shop) between Sixes & Sevens and James & Antler, Hideki’s second location is completely different from its sibling in terms of design and personality – a move that Joe informs us was a conscious choice to better utilise the space while also align aesthetically with the rest of James Street.
Sophia Klemenz Ghanem has once again lent her talents to Hideki Izakaya’s look, creating a brighter design scheme that is a tonal juxtaposition to Burnett Lane’s shadow-shrouded persona. Hideki Izakaya’s bar and kitchen occupies the majority of the tenancy’s internal space, with a latticed light fixture on the ceiling referencing the striking grid-like installation that beams from behind the bar at Burnett Lane.
Hideki Izakaya’s 65 seats are all located outside, with bright-red banquettes and tables creating an eye-catching environment that meshes well with the lively alfresco atmosphere of Sixes & Sevens next door.
“We definitely transformed it,” says Joe of the space. “It’s a bit more casual and a bit more approachable because the landlord wanted it to kind of flow with everything else that’s here.”
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Joe tells us that, at the moment, Hideki Izakaya’s menu is roughly 80 percent the same as its inner-city sibling. Signature snacks like tuna cornets, kingfish usuzukuri, miso eggplant and sushi are available, as are grilled yakitori skewers and mains including teriyaki chicken and Senku Wagyu sirloins.
Soon, Hideki Izakaya’s menu will morph with the addition of high-end bento boxes at lunch and an extended sushi menu. The drinks offering will also evolve too.
“We want to boost lunch to be on par with dinner,” says Joe. “We’re really going to showcase some premium sake here – we’ll be one of three places that will offer certain sakes in Queensland.”
With James Street in the midst of a growth spurt, Hideki Izakaya seems to have arrived at the perfect time. When we ask how Joe envisions Hideki will add to the strip’s dynamic, he believes its accessibility will be its greatest asset.
“We want to be fun,” says Joe. “A lot of the places on James Street are high end – and I guess we are too – but I think we bring an upmarket feel that’s still very approachable. I think that’s the key.”
Hideki Izakaya is now open to the public – head to the Directory for more information.