Inside the new ultra-luxe Japanese restaurant Boom Boom Room

With a fit-out that screams money, this flashy new Brisbane izakaya will make heads turn with its decor and food.

TO CALL the new Boom Boom Room in Brisbane’s CBD an izakaya is somewhat misleading.

By Japanese tradition, an izakaya is typically an informal bar where drinks are the star, while snacks are more an accompaniment to help soak up the booze and stop punters from falling off their stools after too many rounds.

But the city’s new basement space, hidden inside an old bank building off Elizabeth St, is – by any standard – a restaurant. Its fit-out and its menu – especially the degree to which it’s executed – boasting a level of sophistication and refinement far beyond a simple bar.

The dark and moody dining room at Boom Boom Room Izakaya in Brisbane's CBD.

The venue is a COVID-inspired revamp of the old Boom Boom Room drinking den by Brisbane hospitality heavyweights The Ghanem Group, who own contemporary Chinese restaurant Donna Chang upstairs and Blackbird Bar & Grill, a chopstick toss away along Eagle St, among others.

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After closing the bar when coronavirus restrictions kicked in, the group began using the underground area for extra seating for Donna Chang when restaurants reopened and they had to adhere to new spacing guidelines.

Patrons loved it and as the place had never really kicked off as a watering hole, the pandemic provided the perfect opportunity to “pivot” and release a new concept.

And what a concept it is. Much of the ultra luxe fit-out that screams “money” more than a gold chain-clad, chart-topping hip hop star remains. Think plush red chairs, gold wainscoting on navy walls, high-backed, quilted booths and moody lighting.

The bar’s previous Middle Eastern detailing remains through curved archways and domed pockets that lead to the kitchen, but the incongruous element is more architecturally interesting than off-putting.

The bar at Boom Boom Room Izakaya.

In its nod to an izakaya, the drinks list is a generous one, with beverage director Aaron Clark heroing an array of sake and Japanese whisky across all price points. An international wine selection is also in play, keeping to styles that work well with the citrusy flavours that fill the menu, while the cocktail offering plays with Japanese ingredients such as pickled ginger in the Reiki Master – a theatrical blending of whisky, umeshu, honey and lemon that arrives under a cloche of smoke.

But, as mentioned, the food inadvertently has become the star thanks to a broad and enticing menu from executive chef Jake Nicolson and head chef Zac Sykes encompassing snacks, sushi, sashimi, yakitori, sandos, large plates and dessert.

On my first of two visits, our charming and engaging waitress runs us through her favourites – a necessary aid when navigating the myriad choices.

The miso toothfish at Boom Boom Room Izakaya.

From the sushi section the tempura soft shell crab hand roll is the perfect bite of textures and acidity, while the scampi and blue caviar gunkan is a mouthful of luxury (albeit requiring a rather large mouth to consume it in just one bite).

The red kangaroo tartare from the sashimi section is a cracker – velvety soft, rich with egg yolk and salty with bottarga, but ditch the accompanying trio of leaves that are recommended for wrapping the meaty morsel. They overpower the roo with aniseed notes, and simply scoop it up with the discs of fried lotus root.

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Or order the traditional sashimi plate with the finest quality tuna, salmon and kingfish ready to be dipped into the lightest of soy.

Miso-glazed toothfish, chicken thigh and Wagyu beef are all winners from the list of yakitori, while the barramundi katsu bao burger is sure to develop a cult following for its fluffy bun and perfectly balanced filling of crumbed fried fish, bacon, kewpie tartare, pickled jalapeño and sriracha.

The barramundi katso bao burger at Boom Boom Room Izakaya in Brisbane.

Don’t bother with the snack section of the menu so you have room for the Fraser Isle spanner crab udon.

If the best of European and Japanese cookery were to collide on a plate, this is it – the udon-like luscious ribbons of pasta twirled in a calorific kombu-infused butter, flecked with strips of shiso and hand-picked crab.

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A trio of desserts rounds out the menu, running from a nitrogen chocolate and miso mousse ($15) served at the table by the chef, to the cleansing and refreshing mandarin granita with tofu panna cotta ($14).

The menu offers a treasure trove of other delights, making a third visit soon a necessity.

BOOM BOOM ROOM IZAKAYA

49 Elizabeth St, Brisbane

3243 4800

Open Wed-Thu 4.30pm-late, Fri-Sun noon-late
theboomboomroom.com.au

THE VERDICT – Scores out of 5

Food 4

Ambience 4

Service 4

Value 4

Must try dish

Fraser Isle spanner crab, udon, kombu butter and shiso