Tenya Japanese to open in Brisbane City

A whopping 1000sq m restaurant specialising in sushi and sashimi is set to launch in the city, boasting views of the Brisbane River and a private chef’s table experience.

A whopping 1000sq m restaurant specialising in sushi, sashimi and kaiseki is set to launch in Brisbane City this week, promising to be the CBD’s biggest Japanese eatery.

Tenya will open in the Brisbane Quarter development alongside the W Brisbane hotel and Persone Italian on George St, taking the place of defunct Indian restaurant Heritij.

Boasting stunning views over the river towards South Bank, the 350-seat Tenya will combine a glamorous bar complete with sprawling deck, with a stunning contemporary dining space, closed off kaiseki experience, three private dining areas and a VIP room including an exclusive balcony.

A sneak peek of the bar at the new Tenya Japanese Restaurant and Bar.

The restaurant is the work of hospitality veteran Tony Cheng, behind hugely popular Sunnybank Japanese Hana Zushi, who plans to bring his revered, high end sushi and sashimi offering into the city creating a new elevated dining experience.

“We are experts at sushi,” Mr Cheng said. “We have a chef from Japan with a (sushi) qualification from Japan which isn’t very common.”

The rest of the a la carte menu will include the likes of tempura, udon noodles, and a range of hot and cold dishes, which are still being finalised, with multi-course options available. While a separate lunch menu will cater to busy office workers featuring the likes of ramen, donburi, noodles, sushi and sashimi.

“Lunch is quick and easy – we will have really fast food,” Mr Cheng said.

Inside the dining room at new Tenya Japanese Restaurant and Bar.

Head chef Yang Zhao will oversee the kitchen team, as well as the unique, chef’s table kaiseki experience, where diners will be treated to a bespoke 12-plus course meal using the best of seasonal produce.

And drinks will be just as important as the food, said head bartender Nathan Brett, who has been developing a range of Japanese-inspired cocktails using the likes of umeshu and yuzu, as well as stocking up on a wide variety of premium Japanese whiskies and sake.

Some of the sashimi that may be available at the new Japanese restaurant Tenya.

“Our prices on whisky and sake are very, very cheap compared to other restaurants in the area – we beat some by about $100 a bottle on 1.8L sakes,” Mr Brett said.

As for the wine list, it will be a global affair designed to complement the food, while appealing to all tastes.

The bar will also have its own food menu for those who just want to pop in for a few drinks and snacks, with yakitori, sandos, edamame beans, lotus chips and the like making the cut.

Tenya is set to open softly this week, with its grand opening scheduled for August 14.