The six-in-one Prefecture 48 is an ambitious exploration of Japan

Four restaurants, a patisserie and a requisite whisky bar will all open at once as part of the ambitious new Prefecture 48, an exclusively Japanese mega-venue from the Azabu Group with some of Sydney’s top talent.

Paying homage to Japan’s 47 Prefectures, the rather ambitious name for the six-venue hub nods to the fact that several different angles of Japanese dining culture are on full display.

Channelling the cultural and creative breadth of Japan’s 47 prefectures, this six-venue hub, opening on October 11, contains four restaurants, a patisserie and a whisky bar by the award-winning team behind Sydney institution Maybe Sammy.

The one-of-a-kind spot is headlined by Garaku, offering a traditional kaiseki menu directed by ex-Tetsuya chef Derek Kim to interpret the four seasons through the scope of fine Japanese food.

Upstairs is Ibushi, consistently clouded in a puff of smoke with a lively robata grill and a vibe straight from the backstreets of Tokyo.

The next obvious choice is Prefecture 48’s tiny omakase restaurant, eponymously named with a chef’s table experience for just 8 diners at a time. Sushi Master Akira Horikawa and Tomoyuki Matsuya run the show, but Azabu Group also may include a rotating roster of guest sushi chefs to keep the experience dynamic.

FIVE is where chef Hirochi Manaka will explore Japanese flavours with modern European techniques. While Whisky Theif is the resident whisky bar with cocktails by the Maybe Sammy team and a long, diverse list of Japanese whisky.

Rounding it all out is Dear Florence, a classic patisserie by Pastry Chef Aoife Noonan, focusing on refined desserts with European and Japanese twists.

This orchestral exploration of Japanese hospitality is something that’s never really been done in Australia before. Will it be worth the wait? You can find out when it opens on October 11 on Sussex Street.


Prefecture 48

Address: 230 Sussex St, Sydney NSW 2000
Contact: (02) 8552 2888

azabugroup.com.au


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