Last minute problems always never fail to appear. The contractors sent the wrong sized chiller and freezers today. Then spent eons convincing us that they are the right ones just because they are too lazy to bring it back. The dimensions are too big for the shop so there's no way for us to accept it. The drain hole for the fish sink is too small and rectification work needs to be done. This has potentially set us back by one day on our schedule because without the sink, we can't mount the compressor for the display case, which is coming tomorrow.
Things are really heating up in the shop fast! We've never seen so many workers cramming for space in the little restaurant trying to cut, mount and clean-up at the same time. 2 more days to end of the week and 2 more days to completion of renovation works.
The glass doors are up together with the lightbox that will be our signage.
We think the wood veneer above the counter lends a touch of class to the restaurant. Don't worry about the spotlights, they are LED, so there will be little heat to distract you from the dining experience at the counter or spoil your food.
We met some food and sake suppliers today and will be seeing more of them tomorrow. The European salmon supply is returning to normal but that's not a huge concern to us in the first place. The real bad news is that Japan has placed a ban on beef export. NO WAGYU! At least not from Japan. We firmly believe in quality of what we serve lies in the quality of our raw ingredients. There is no replacement for Japanese beef, especially Miyazaki beef (some say the best wagyu in the world). Yes, there are Australian Tajima Wagyu and USA Snake River Wagyu, but these are technically not Japanese beef and therefore not the real deal. When it comes to meat, it's not just about the animal breed or feed that they consume but there's also husbandry of the animal and passion of the ranchers that determine quality of the meat. Maybe we will spend more time talking about the different grades and types of wagyu on another day but just be aware that not all wagyu come from Japan.
The Big One is still there. Waiting...
The large sake chiller is in the shop! It came on Wednesday when we were stuffing ourselves at FHA2010. The move went largely (pun intended) without a hitch despite the tight space and condition of the shop. The chiller is currently facing backwards to the wall to protect the glass doors as renovation and fitting out is still underway. The exhaust system threw us a curved ball and held us up a bit but things are back on track.
You really will need a step ladder to be able to reach the bottles at the top.
We have more chillers and stainless steel stuff arriving at the shop next week, which happens also to be the last week of renovations. Lots of cleaning of the premise needs to be done after that, then we can move in our tableware, glassware and utensils, to be washed too.
We are halfway through our renovation dateline. Hopefully, the shop will be completed by end of this month. Things seem to be moving faster with each day and it never ceases to surprise us each time we visit the site. With the walls up, the proportions of the shop start to become more obvious. The initial concern of tight walkway behind the counter is unfounded and the kitchen isn't as cramped as we thought. Although the shop is still not as vast we would have liked, it seems like a cozy place to enjoy good food and great company, that the izakaya experience should embody.
We needed to add a new extractor fan to provide sufficient flow for the charcoal grill. It can be seen on the top right hand corner of the photo above. The concrete table in the middle of the photo is where the charcoal grill will be and above it is the custom fabricated hood to ensure customers doesn't get smoked out. We think it may be a little too high up but there are NEA regulations to the height of these things so it can only go about 10 cm lower.
These are the steel support for the granite counter top.
The throne room. Doesn't look conducive for business now because it needs to be cleaned up and fitted with lights.
It's also at this point that we started applying for the NEA license, public entertainment license and the all important liquor license. It can be done at a one-stop online portal. Quite convenient.
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The kitchen tiles are going up fine. The colour of grey with a tint of green looks calm and clean.
You won't believe the size of the rat that made this hole.
The much delayed 3D renderings of the restaurant is finally here!
Above is the artist impression of the interior, showing the counter seating area. We won't have the cheesy kanji on the noren at the end and might replace it with a curtain. The open kitchen is to the left and the feature wall on the right is clad in tinted mirror for the full length. We will probably use a different stain for the wood veneer and the ambience will be cozier.
The exterior facade is covered in stone tiles, with a sliding glass door for the entrance. The signage is a brushed stainless steel lightbox but with our restaurant logo and relevant fonts for the final product. The wood counter will be partially visible from outside. Spotlights mounted on the ceiling will act as wall washers to complete the effect.
4 natural elements are represented on the facade: stone, metal, wood and the glass represents water. Is it good fengshui? We are not superstitious but more importantly, do you like it? Tell us what you think in the comments!
This is the one-draft-away-from-final draft of the kitchen layout plans. It has been so fine tuned and crafted that it is the most perfect izakaya kitchen in the world, or so we hope. Since this is not the final draft, we can't show you the plans yet but be assured that we have spent really a lot of time and effort in getting the layout, work flow and momentum right.
If you don't know yet, Tenza Izakaya will have an open kitchen so you can watch as the chefs labour over your meal. The bar counter has the best seats in the house!
