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Savour charcoal-grilled snacks and curious cocktails at Shishou Sake Bar Savour charcoal-grilled snacks and curious cocktails at Shishou Sake Bar Savour charcoal-grilled snacks and curious cocktails at Shishou Sake Bar Savour charcoal-grilled snacks and curious cocktails at Shishou Sake Bar Savour charcoal-grilled snacks and curious cocktails at Shishou Sake Bar Savour charcoal-grilled snacks and curious cocktails at Shishou Sake Bar Savour charcoal-grilled snacks and curious cocktails at Shishou Sake Bar Savour charcoal-grilled snacks and curious cocktails at Shishou Sake Bar

Savour charcoal-grilled snacks and curious cocktails at Shishou Sake Bar

In late 2019, a hole-in-the-wall space bridging Brunswick Street and California Lane was transformed into Brisbane's first omakase sushi-degustation restaurant Shishou. Earlier this year, the restaurant's ownership shifted gears, rebooting the concept and implementing a more casual style of Japanese-influenced dining, rebranding as Shishou Sake Bar. The cosy space now boasts eye-catching murals, a splash of vibrant neon, and an all-new menu of yakitori-style eats, bar snacks and cocktails to consume.


Last year, a curious culinary concept emerged amidst the bars and clubs of Fortitude Valley’s entertainment precinct. Shishou – an intimate degustation restaurant from chef Takashi Nami and Esala Roqica – sought to bring an elevated take on delicately crafted and artfully presented sushi to the area when it opened in late October. As delicious as Chef Takashi’s cuisine was, the team determined that the concept inevitably wasn’t suited for the location, and sought to change approach to capture a broader wedge of The Valley’s dining market. Chef Takashi has embarked on a new chapter, taking on a position at heralded Japanese fine-diner hôntô, while Esala got to work shaking up the space for a rebrand in early 2020. In January Shishou Sake Bar opened to the public, boasting a few new cosmetic additions and a new menu to boot. Structurally, the interior is largely the same – the long dining counter boasting 14 seats remains – but the aesthetic now features some lively additions in the form of a new colourful mural from Drapl, a few sets of wall neons and new bar shelves showcasing glinting bottles of liquor. The kitchen also boasts some new tools, with the addition of a special binchotan charcoal grill giving the culinary team the ability to dip into Japanese yakitori-style bar snacks.

Shishou Sake Bar’s menu is now aligned more towards share-style dishes and small plates. The fun starts with crispy chicken ribs with yuzu kosho, soft-shell crab bao, crispy chicken karaage with furikake and wasabi mayonnaise, kimmari with pickled veg and pan-fried gyoza with soy vinegar. Off the grill, guests can savour smoky skewers of chicken thighs, asparagus wrapped in bacon, king prawns with garlic butter, enoki mushroom with beef and truffle oil, and scallops lathered with herb butter. The drinks have been given a shake-up too, with master of wine and vino consultant Peter Scudamore-Smith helping shape the beverage list. The drinks menu is still concise, with wines favouring white varietals available alongside three kinds of sake, one shochu and Asahi Super Dry and Asahi Black off tap. Cocktails is where Shishou Sake Bar stakes its reputation, with concoctions infusing Japanese ingredients to create enlivening sips. The Raspberry Beret boasts Roku gin, yuzu, raspberries, Angostura bitters and prosecco, while the Tie Me Up infuses sake, cucumber juice, matcha green tea ice-cream, ginger syrup and yuzu citrus into one potion. Although the multi-course sushi experience is no longer Shishou’s main offering, Esala is keen to host one-off dinners to provide that top-tier experience for those that seek it. In addition to this, locals can also look forward to whisky and sake-tasting nights and other special events. Shishou Sake Bar will also be offering a slightly different menu for UberEats, with Tokyo-style noodle dishes and street-food morsels available only through the app.

Shishou Sake Bar is now open to the public. For more info, head to the Stumble Guide.

The Stumble Guide is our comprehensive Brisbane dining guide with more than 2400 places to eat, drink, shop and play.



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