Tenjo izakaya brings yuzu slushies, claypot rice and a fresh, contemporary look to Wunderlich Lane. Can the space turn the tide after a turbulent time at the $500 million redevelopment?
Turning Japanese hasn’t been a quick fix at the Redfern rooftop previously home to Mexican restaurant Lottie. But as the final furnishings drop into place ahead of the opening on Monday, November 16, of Japanese izakaya Tenjo, head chef Fredy Lim says the recalibration is nearly complete at the EVE Hotel’s latest venue in Redfern’s Wunderlich Lane precinct.
The culinary U-turn from Mexican to Japanese follows hot on the heels of the relaunch last week of ground floor venue Bar Julius as French bistro Baptiste. Tenjo and Baptiste are operated by Orkhestra, the hospitality group behind Cho Cho San and The Apollo, as well as Olympus Dining, also in residence on the ground floor.
Gone are the heavy dark-brown hues around the window frames, replaced by softer colours and strips of red in a space that now feels more contemporary: scattered with cut crystal and hand-thrown stoneware. There’s plenty of upcycling and repurposing, and the addition of laser-cut screens throw dappled light on a space with its own Thunderbirds-style retractable glass roof.
The urban rooftop is just part of the package. The former head chef at sushi e in the CBD, Lim is all-in on creating a proper izakaya. “In Japan, an izakaya is a place to unwind and gather over drinks after a hard day’s work,” he says. At the 100-seat Tenjo, that might be with a yuzu slushie in hand, or a citrusy kabosu margarita with matcha and coconut oil from bartender Matt Whiley.
Lim has calibrated Tenjo to fit the rooftop setting, meaning it’s equally suited for a drink and a snack as much as it is for a full meal. There are all the usual suspects with tempura, sashimi and maki rolls, but given the group’s experience riffing on classics at Cho Cho San and Yoko Dining in Brisbane, expect a few twists and flips along the way. There’s snapper with fermented finger lime ponzu, plus scallops a couple of ways, including stuffed into gyoza or perched on top of a shiso leaf with a drizzle of bearnaise.
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The chef is still fine-tuning his “wasabi relish” for the opening menu, but the donabe section, focused on claypot rice, is all but ready to go. Tenjo has made a feature of the home-style Japanese dish that’s popped up everywhere from Garaku to Bathers’ Pavilion, going deep on seasonal rice varieties. Each donabe is cooked to order, the grains steaming slowly up top and crisping deeply on the bottom, finished with the likes of beef short-rib, umeboshi chicken or mushrooms, including golden enoki, pink oyster and shimeji.
Dessert, too, is a point of pride. The Japanese shaved ice dessert kakigori is a headline, but Lim has more up his sleeve, including a riff on a popular souvenir sweet. “We’re doing our version of Tokyo Banana, with sponge cake, caramelised banana ice-cream and maple-infused banana,” Lim says.
Orkhestra’s appointment to the venues followed a turbulent period for the restaurants at the then 18-month-old EVE Hotel. In July, Bar Julius and Lottie operator Liquid & Larder (which also runs CBD steakhouses The Gidley and Bistecca) announced it would cease to operate the venues at the end of August, telling the Herald the glitzy venues at The EVE Hotel had failed to hit financial targets, despite positive reviews and design awards for both of them.
The pair were considered two of the hospitality jewels in the crown at the $500 million TOGA Group redevelopment of the old Redfern mall, now known as Wunderlich Lane. Last summer also saw House Made Hospitality flip Baptist Street Rec Club into Vitelli’s Upstairs in the same complex, and recently widen the scope of Island Radio downstairs to try to capture more diners.
Olympus Dining, though, has been an enormous success story, encouraging the team to consolidate. At Baptiste, chef Luke Papalia is pumping out veal sweetbreads atop “sweet bread”, shellfish platters, a fresh take on pissaladiere and confit duck leg garnished with a duck sausage.
Papalia honed his skills as a saucier in a career that includes time at The Charles Brasserie & Bar in the CBD, and sauces are a big part of the opening menu at Baptiste. There’s a clever trick of making a fish-based version of sauce diane to go with tuna steak, the steak au poivre promises the requisite bite, and the chef slips ingredients such as creme fraiche into his sauces for a hint of acidity and freshness.
Baptiste’s space has been revamped to add more mirrored finishes, and the room has been rejigged to engage more with the local community. There’s a new entrance direct to Baptist Street, plus more Parisian-style changes on the way. “There’s [a big] awning going up outside,” Papalia says.
Tenjo opening hours: Lunch Thu-Sun from noon; dinner daily from 5pm (in December Tenjo will be open for lunch and dinner daily)
Baptiste opening hours: Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily
8 Baptist Street, Redfern, tenjo.com.au
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