Two members of Melbourne restaurant royalty are about to come together and make sparks fly at what could be one of the most exciting openings this year: a sushi train with a Brazilian-meets-Japanese identity.

Con Christopoulos has tapped Victor Liong of two-hatted Lee Ho Fook to be the culinary brains driving the menu at Bossa Nova Sushi, the latest project to slide into the restaurateur’s ever-changing Bourke Street space most recently home to Greek restaurant Kafeneion.

The pair’s first project, Bossa Nova Sushi, was dreamt up at the end of pandemic lockdowns and will be anchored by a 26-seat sushi train serving high-quality Japanese fare that’s speedy yet sophisticated, taking the popular fast-casual concept into another realm.

“It’s going to have finesse. It’s going to be stylish,” Christopoulos says.

Liong, one of Australia’s most celebrated young names in Chinese cooking, says he worked as an apprentice under several Japanese chefs and is excited to return to the form after teaming up with chef Chase Kojima in 2019 on Sydney’s now-closed Chuuka, a Chinese-meets-Japanese venue.

“It’s a sensibility and cooking style I really enjoy exploring,” Liong says.

When Bossa Nova opens in May, the conveyor belt will ferry a mix of core sushi train items using Australian, New Zealand and Japanese seafood, alongside dishes inspired by convenience stores and izakaya. A hot menu will have 12 to 15 complementary dishes, and takeaway sushi will be available.

“It’s going to have finesse. It’s going to be stylish.”

Con Christopoulos, restaurateur

Inspired by the Japanese diaspora in Brazil, where the largest Japanese population resides, the restaurant will weave in bossa nova music and serve the it-drink of the early aughts, the Caipirinha, featuring Brazilian sugar cane spirit cachaca. Sake and European wines will also be available.

Liong and Christopoulos want to unhitch the sushi train from its reputation for serving underwhelming fast-food and bring it closer to the care and quality seen at fine-dining sushi counters, without losing any of the fun.

“Sushi can be quite serious, but also very democratic,” Liong says. “In Japan and its many diaspora communities around the world, sushi is comforting, convenient and, in many cases, [both] high quality and egalitarian.

“Con’s always had a good vision on hospitality in Melbourne and this idea I was excited about.”

The dark and slender Bourke Street space has been many things since Christopoulos opened cafe-bar-gallery Self Preservation there in 2007, but this might be its most intriguing chapter yet.

“On the train everyone is equal, everyone has the same experience and enjoyment is immediate,” Liong says.

“We want to offer a range of accessible elements and [add] some luxury to the everyday.”

There is no change to Liong’s partnership with restaurateurs Peter Bartholomew and David Mackintosh across his other venues Lee Ho Fook, Silk Spoon and Quenino at Artyzen Hotel in Singapore.

Bossa Nova Sushi is scheduled to open in May at 70 Bourke Street, Melbourne, @bossanovasushi_train.