Tombo Den reflects a version of Tokyo that restaurateur Chris Lucas remembers from the ’90s, when he lived and worked in Japan for three years. The long, narrow restaurant opens on Saturday September 7 and blends elegance and modernity with immersive and slightly subversive elements.

“I fell in love with Japanese food,” says Lucas. “It didn’t matter where you ate – you could not have a bad meal. Even the little takeaway place was an example of perfectionism.” He’s already opened upmarket Kisume and grill-centric Yakimono. “The next logical step was to create … a taste of that street food – that Japanese casualness where you could pop in, have some sushi, have a bowl of noodles [and] have something grilled.”

Sit downstairs in the booth seating or at the extra-long 26-seater sushi bar that runs down one side of the room and watch the deft techniques of the sushi chefs. Ascend the stairs to the cocktail lounge and sit on fluffy blue Nanda Vigo Blocco cubes that transform into chairs as you sink into them. Or enter the Mondrian-esque red glass doors to the karaoke lounge.

We think you might like Access. For $12 a month, join our membership program to stay in the know.

SIGN UP

Sleek yet tactile, the design elements – from the textures of the furnishings to the ambient lighting – were chosen to engage the senses and create an immersive dining environment. Local artist Tom Blachford’s large-scale AI-generated Japanese film noir photography-style works hang on the walls. They depict the dark, brooding mood of late-night Tokyo.

Dan Chan (Supernormal, Michelin-starred Yardbird in Hong Kong) oversees the menu alongside Kisume sushi chefs Toaki Kyo and Carlos Lopez.

Market-fresh sushi, sashimi and nigiri have their own daily menu and are made using traditional techniques with a twist. (Sushi comes with tuna tartare piled on top; nigiri with dehydrated and shaved jamon with yuzu cream).

The à la carte menu features small plates like the duck hambagu (hamburger steak) with tare egg yolk and spring onion. There is Sapporo flatbread with wasabi cream. And Chan’s favourite: the sweetcorn fritter, a street food twist on a Yardbird classic. There are also six different hand rolls.

Larger plates from the hibachi grill include the charcoal chicken thighs, sliced and served with pickles and lettuce to make your own little bite. And the roast pork belly with mustard greens, and the soy-glazed beef rib.

Lucas’s soft spot for Japanese ice-cream comes through on the dessert menu. There’ll be changing ice-cream flavours, and brûléed dark chocolate mousse with sesame.

Drinks are by master sommelier Yuki Hirose, who has been at Lucas’s Society since it opened in 2021. There are classic cocktails imbued with a Tombo Den touch – sake or Japanese citrus – including the Negroni made with plum and Sakura, and the Martini made with gin and sake served in a Japanese ceramic cup. There is a range of sake, an extensive whisky and over 30 local and international but predominantly small-producer wines by the glass.

“What I’m really looking forward to is seeing how people respond to the whole Tombo vibe,” says Chan. “With the music, the artwork and the atmosphere, the first impression when anyone walks through the door is going to be, ‘Woah!’.”

Tombo Den
100a Chapel Street, Windsor
03 9960 9702

Hours
Mon to Thu 5pm–late.
Fri to Sun 12pm–late

tomboden.com.au