New izakaya Fukuro to open in Central next month

Fresh off the success of having its ‘neo-Parisian bistro’ Belon named one of Asia’s 50 best Restaurants, Black Sheep Restaurants has announced its newest project: Fukuro, an izakaya coming to Elgin Street next month.

The restaurant is headed by chef Shun Sato (pictured), a Sendai native who’s worked in Tokyo’s famous Tsukiji Market, Sydney restaurants BlancHaru and Yoshii and, more recently here in Hong Kong, Belon and Ho Lee Fook. Signature dishes are set to include the likes of a seasonal sashimi platter, grilled octopus on potato confit with ginger soy and A4 wagyu sukiyaki. In typical izakaya fashion, quality whisky highballs are to be the tipple of choice.

Competition is fierce in this corner of Central. Although different concepts, Nocturne on nearby Peel Street provides an excellent Ginza bar experience and Sake Central, a block away in PMQ, offers a solemn menu of Japanese small plates and drinks that’s among the best in the city at what it does. That means Fukuro faces a tough battle to carve out its own niche. When it opens in May, we’ll be the first to see if it’s a success, so watch this space.