Tenjo Redfern

Tenjo Redfern — Rooftop Izakaya Landing at The EVE This November

This November, the team behind The Apollo, Cho Cho San and Olympus is opening Tenjo, a 100 seat rooftop izakaya crowning The EVE Hotel in Redfern. Head Chef Fredy Lim, who joins from sushi e, is running a kitchen built around sushi and sashimi, tempura, yakitori and donabe claypot rice, with Japanese technique applied to Australian produce. The name means "ceiling" in Japanese, a nod to the restaurant's position at the very top of the building.

Designed by George Livissianis beneath a retractable glass roof, the space is layered with birch plywood, raw aluminium and translucent fabric screens, softened further by surrounding greenery. Guests can sit at the sushi counter to watch nigiri and sashimi being prepared, order straight off the yakitori grill, or share a pot of seasonal donabe gohan cooked to order and finished with any extra rice pressed into onigiri to take home.

On the drinks side, bartender Matt Whiley has built ten signature cocktails around Japanese fruit, including a yuzu slushie and a sudachi gimlet, while a sake list from Sam Christie sits alongside wines running from Champagne to skin contact styles. Tenjo is set up to work across the day, from sunlit lunches to long dinners, and will also extend The EVE's food and beverage offering to hotel guests by the pool.