Underneath Donna Chang’s glitzy surroundings sits Boom Boom Room Izakaya, a hip Japanese-inspired bar and steeped in local heritage and creative culinary inspirations. The space utilises several of the building’s original elements in its fit-out – bank vaults have been transformed into velvet draped private rooms, exposed brick alcoves harbour luxurious booths and even the toilets retain heritage fixtures. In August the venue transitioned towards a a new direction, reimagined for a post-COVID world as a standalone Japanese-inspired bar and eatery. Executive chef Jake Nicolson and beverage director Aaron Clark gave The Boom Boom Room’s offering a shake up to suit the directional pivot, designing a selection of mouth-watering snacks including miso-glazed toothfish with bonito mayo and shichimi pepper, barramundi katsu bao burgers with bacon, Kewpie tartare, pickled jalapeno and sriracha, Yarra Valley salmon-roe gunkan, chicken-thigh yakitori, fried silken tofu and wood-roasted cauliflower. Boom Boom Room Izakaya serves a killer libation list, headlined by new cocktails such as the Reiki Master (a twist on a classic penicillin mixing Suntory Toki whisky, umeshu, pickled ginger, honey, lemon juice and smoke) and the Hana, which blends cherry blossom with Haku vodka, lychee and green-tea soda.