By Matt Shea
鈥淚 always felt it needed a sense of arrival, a place like Sushi Room,鈥 Gloftis says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a very special room, a really special environment 鈥 walking in off The Lobby Bar was OK, but it didn鈥檛 feel like you鈥檇 arrived anywhere. It felt a bit too easy.鈥
As of late May, though, Sushi Room is a restaurant transformed.
The Doggett Street tenant is gone, the former shopfront transformed into a new bar and al fresco dining area that, yes, also acts as the restaurant鈥檚 entrance.
In charge of the fit-out was regular Gloftis designers Richards & Spence. Compared with the soft moodiness of the restaurant dining room, the Brisbane-based firm has leant the new space a bolder, more approachable design that suits its street-side location, with upholstered booths, a striking marble bar and a mirrored ceiling installation. Outside, brushed-steel furniture lines the sidewalk, while inside a noren curtain leads the way to the original restaurant.