With two of Brisbane’ best restaurants in his portfolio and third eatery also recently open on James Street, you’d be forgiven for thinking that restaurateur Simon Gloftis would be eager to ease his foot off the accelerator for a little while. Well, it seems like he’s done exactly the opposite, cementing his status of king of James Street dining with Sushi Room – a high-end Japanese restaurant occupies a custom-built space inside The Calile Hotel. Sushi Room joined Simon’s other restaurants Hellenika and SK Steak & Oyster as The Calile’s in-house eateries, taking over the tenancies previously home to Scotch & Soda tenancy and Museum of Small Things to create space for an 80-odd-seat restaurant and bar. Richards & Spence has designed Sushi Room’s interior, drawing inspiration from traditional Japanese design to shape Sushi Room’s sushi bar (which has been crafted from fine hinoki wood), front bar and mezzanine space. Ex-Kiyomi sous chef Shimpei Raikuni is Sushi Room’s head sushi chef, creating a predominantly sushi and sashimi-focused menu. A glimpse at the menu highlights the dignified simplicity of Sushi Room – an impressive list of sashimi and nigiri merely lists the seafood and its origin (think Hiramasa kingfish, Tasmanian uni and New Zealand alfonsino), which will be hand selected daily with only the finest and freshest catches making the cut. Even the rice has been considered – there will be three different temperatures of rice, which the chefs will select according to the style of fish and its fat content to maintain the perfect balance. A clutch of more substantial dishes and sides also grace the menu, including morsels such as caviar toro toro sushi, tempura lobster, Kagoshima sirloin yakimono and ponzu-dressed oysters. The dishes can be ordered a la carte, as part of the enkai (set) menu, or enjoyed as an 18-course two-hour omakase, where a small group of diners will be sat up at the bar and guided through an intimate gastronomic adventure with chef Shimpei (the produce, of which, will be presented in an intricate treasure chest to diners before the meal commences).