A bar named Su: New bar and restaurant Lazy Su opens in Braddon

A Japanese proverb on the wall of new Braddon venue Lazy Su translates roughly as 'killing two birds with one stone', and that's what the plan is, straddling the line between bar and restaurant. You'll be welcomed and seated whether you're after just a beer or to settle in with friends for a full dinner.

The casual new venue on Lonsdale Street, which opens on Wednesday, is Japan meets Korea with a heavy dose of retro styling.

Andrew Duong, Jared Calnan, Shao Yi Kuek and Ben Ilic are the team behind it. Having known each other for years, working across the Canberra hospitality scene, they decided to go into business together and combine their passions for Asian cuisine and old school hospitality.

Lazy Su's menu is short but diverse, made for casual dining, with small and larger share plates and nothing over $30. There's snacks (Korean buffalo wings, wagyu cheesesteak spring roll), plenty of seafood, moresish fried chicken and beef short ribs, playful desserts (bao ice cream sandwich) and smaller poke bowls for lunch.

"We've all been to Japan, some of us have been to Korea as well. We are super passionate about this style of food. We've taken traditional bold family recipes and flavours but we've made them accessible and casual so that everyone can enjoy them," said Duong.

"We've put our twist on a couple of recipes based on our backgrounds, so it's an amalgamation of what we would want to eat and what we think our friends would want to eat."

The menu also offers a banquet starting from two people, plus caters well to vegans, vegetarians and those steering clear of gluten.

Lazy Su's strikingly sleek yet casual fitout is thanks to a full renovation. Stepping inside now, it's hard to remember its predecessor, the casual Vitis Eatery, and there's certainly no remnants of its tenant before that, traditional Greek taverna Ostratos, with its blue and white features and walls of photos of the Greek Islands.

Instead, it's modern and a clash of soft and hard furnishings. Booths at the front are comfortable, with jade green bench seats and denim separators which give tables a welcome privacy. Concrete panels line the walls, meeting up with a concrete look bar-top, and an exposed Canberra Brickworks wall extends to the back.

The indigo blue polished concrete floor also keeps things interesting and the venue's filled with contrasting quirks - from a traditional Japanese waves mural to the Harajuku-themed ladies bathroom, '80s Japanese pop culture ads covering the bar fridges, and a mesmerising wall of lucky cats.

The bar itself is also an impressive aspect of the space, with a maze of light boxes literally spelling out what's on offer.

"There's a bit of a whisky focus, Japanese whisky in particular," said Ilic.

"Then also a focus on Korean and Japanese spirits so sake, shochu, makgeolli, so we want to explore those and give people an opportunity that haven't drunk those kind of Asian drinks before to have a try. And also for Korean and Japanese people who come in - they've got something familiar that they enjoy drinking."

Wines are all from Australia and cocktails are heavily aimed at the ladies, with the exciting addition of some cocktails on tap.

Lazy Su will be open Tuesday to Sunday for lunch and dinner, with a full menu running until 1am on Friday and Saturdays.

For a boogie later in the evening, there's also a disco box and DJ booth, and room for a dancefloor if some of the tables are removed.

Lazy Su opens Wednesday. 1/9 Lonsdale St, Braddon. lazy-su.com.au.