The House of Japan is marking its soft opening this week by offering guests a fresh and exciting dining experience.
Owner Kaanan Baroud contracted architect Greg Lacle of ABJL & Partners to create the restaurant interior. True to the principles of Feng Shui and traditional Japanese space arrangement, Lacle set out to created a gem of a dining room, where a distinctive red color interplays with a palette of white, gray and black to present authentic Japanese ambiance with a modern touch.
“Martial arts and the effect of flowing movement influenced the curvy and linear look of the bar, with its shiny, high-resistance Site stone countertop and the staccato-lined wall underneathâ€, explains Lacle, “everything, down to the restaurant logo created by a Japanese artist now living in the US, is faithful to the land of the rising sun,†he adds.
The same curvy and linear architectural elements are echoed in the ceiling, the wall elements featuring beautiful, wooden, custom-made cabinetry, and the inviting Teppanyaki table seating. The restaurant’s striking inlaid floor made of high quality tile is designed to resemble Japanese wood panels. The frosty, opaque glass surfaces on shelves reflect the translucency of rice paper, infused by indirect LED lighting, which is soft and sweet, and lends the dining room an intimate, hushed quality.
To complement the harmonious interiors, Kaanan Baroud imported some high-powered sushi chefs mixing traditional Japanese cuisine with a fusion of Latin and Caribbean influences.
“We feature some non-traditional foods,†explains Baroud, “such as sun dried tomatoes, imported mussels, cream cheese, passion fruit, fresh mango, ripe avocado, mustard and honey sauces beside Japanese ingredients to create Fusion Cuisine. So you have to come to the House of Japan to see what happens when East meets West in the kitchen,†he concludes, “your taste buds will be happy!!â€
The lovely House of Japan menu features aromatic soups, creative salads & starters, grilled Kushi Ague/Yaki skewers, Sushi Rolls, innovative specialties and mixed platters of Sushi, Nigiri and Sashimi, hot dishes with noodles or rice, and combination platters, matched irresistibly with the delicious tempura temptations.
Best of all, patrons may sit inside in the air conditioned dining room or outside with comfortable terrace seating areas. Bar-food lovers may order their favorite dishes while at the South Beach Lounge, it will be delivered with courtesy and efficiency, signature service standards at the House of Japan.