Tag: Aizome Bar

West End’s Award-Winning Aizome Bar Launches New Tasting and À La Carte Menus

Aizome Bar, the 10-seat venue on Montague Road in West End named Gourmet Traveller Bar of the Year 2025, has introduced new tasting and à la carte menus as part of an updated food offering at the bar.

Read: A Year of Pride and Performance at West End Bar Come to Daddy

The menus are designed to provide a more flexible entry point into the +81 dining philosophy, the concept that underpins both Aizome Bar and its adjoining omakase restaurant, Sushi Kappo. The bar format allows guests to engage at their own pace, whether through drinks only or a fuller dining experience.

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The food program is overseen by Chef Ikuo Kobayashi, who also leads the kitchen at Sushi Kappo next door. Kobayashi’s background includes time at some of Japan’s most prestigious Michelin-starred restaurants. At Aizome Bar, the venue says his approach adapts the discipline of kappo-style dining into a format suited to a bar setting.

Across both menus, dishes are prepared without gluten, dairy or nuts. The venue describes this as a deliberate philosophy, one it says reinforces purity, balance and precision rather than functioning as a dietary restriction.

What’s on the New Menus

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The tasting menu is priced at $90 per person and runs across six courses: three starters, two mains and a dessert.

Starters include seared beef tataki with broccoli, tomato and soy milk cream cheese; sashimi of the day; and chawanmushi, a Japanese savoury egg custard made with Canadian snow crab. Mains are a Marble King Wagyu Sirloin MS9+ sukiyaki with seasonal vegetables and free-range egg yolk, and a salmon avocado roll. The meal closes with a sweet finale dessert.

The à la carte menu includes bar snacks and dishes the venue says are designed to pair with its drinks offering, across a range of price points. Options include:

  • Edamame $8
  • Tomato Caprese with soy cream cheese $18
  • Sashimi of the Day $12
  • Chicken Karaage $20
  • Diced Marble King Wagyu Fillet MS9+ $20
  • Uramaki rolls (6pc) with Tasmanian ocean trout and avocado, or ebi and avocado $12 each
  • Inarizushi (2pc) $8
  • Wagyu Curry Rice $19
  • Sake-lees and Chocolate Soy Ice Cream $8

The Drinks Program

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The bar’s drinks program defines the Aizome Bar experience. The venue is known for its Neo cocktails, developed by Tony Huang and Tim Pope, which are prepared over multiple days using freeze-integration techniques and served in a wine-style format. 

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A Cocktail Experience option is also available, offering a curated flight of six 60ml cocktails, each aged over five days. The broader drinks list includes wine, sake and spirits.

Read: Cheers to West End: Exploring Brisbane’s Vibrant Bar Scene

Aizome Bar sits under the +81 brand, named after Japan’s international dialling code, alongside Sushi Kappo. Reservations are available through the +81 website.

Aizome Bar is at 259 Montague Road, West End.

Published 30-April-2026

West End Gets a 12-Seat Japanese Omakase Experience With a $450 Menu

West End is about to claim a rare spot on Australia’s fine-dining map, with a new 12-seat Japanese counter restaurant bringing Michelin-trained craftsmanship, century-old traditions and a $450-per-person menu into one of Brisbane’s most community-driven neighbourhoods.

Read: Three Residential Towers Proposed for West End Site Near Davies Park

+81 Sushi Kappo is scheduled to begin service on Thursday, February 5, tucked just off Montague Road in West End, next to the already well-known Aizome Bar.

An Intimate Addition to West End

The arrival of +81 Sushi Kappo marks a significant moment for West End, an area better known for its relaxed cafés and creative culture than ultra-exclusive dining rooms. With only 12 seats available each night, the restaurant introduces kappo-style omakase to the suburb, a traditional Japanese format that places the chef at the centre of the experience. 

Each dish is prepared directly in front of guests, creating a quiet, focused exchange between chef and diner that prioritises respect, seasonality and care.

The restaurant is led by Tokyo-trained head chef Ikuo Kobayashi, whose career includes time at some of Japan’s most respected sushi counters, including Michelin-starred Kyubey in Ginza. Drawing on decades of experience, Kobayashi’s approach centres on Edomae-style sushi, a Tokyo tradition that values precise knife work, careful ageing of fish and perfectly balanced rice. His cooking reflects both Japanese discipline and Australia’s changing seasons, using premium local seafood alongside select ingredients sourced from Japan.

Photo Credit: Sushi Kappo/Markus Ravik

The Menu and Experience

The multi-course omakase menu is seafood-focused and shaped by micro-seasons, meaning no two sittings are exactly alike. A signature element is Kobayashi’s sushi rice, enriched with spirulina sourced exclusively from Iceland, chosen for its flavour balance rather than visual impact. Dishes move from lighter preparations to richer courses, with an emphasis on texture, temperature and restraint.

The cost reflects the level of craftsmanship and exclusivity, with menus starting from $450 per guest. According to the source materials, the pricing aligns with international kappo counters rather than mainstream dining, positioning West End alongside global destinations for high-end Japanese cuisine.

Photo Credit: Sushi Kappo/Markus Ravik

Complementing the food is a carefully curated beverage program featuring more than 100 artisanal sake references, rare Japanese whiskies, Champagne and a mix of Australian and international wines. Guests can also choose from rotating beverage pairings designed to follow the rhythm of the menu. After the meal, diners are encouraged to move into the adjoining lounge to continue the evening with whisky or liqueurs, extending the sense of connection built across the counter.

Omotenashi is a Japanese philosophy that means selfless hospitality. It focuses on demonstrating care through simple gestures rather than formalities. Each service is unique, with the chef adjusting the pace and level of attention based on the guests at the counter.

Photo Credit: Sushi Kappo/Markus Ravik

A New Chapter for West End

For West End locals, the restaurant represents more than just another opening. Positioned beside Aizome Bar, itself recognised for bringing Japanese cocktail culture to Brisbane, +81 Sushi Kappo strengthens the suburb’s growing reputation as a destination for thoughtful, independent hospitality. 

Read: Historic Hall in West End Returns to Life as 80s-Style Music Hub

While access is limited by design, the presence of such a focused dining room adds a new layer to West End’s food story, blending neighbourhood character with international technique.

BOOK A TABLE

Published 14-Jan-2025