'Non-traditional' izakaya Isabel Bondi opens

When an izakaya opens in Sydney with equal promise from the bar and kitchen, it has our attention. Throw in water views and we're already in the cab.

Isabel Bondi opens this week, and while an izakaya is really just a Japanese pub or tavern, this opening promises more.

Which is probably why its owners are calling it a "non-traditional izakaya".

For starters one of its owners is award-winning mixologist Kate McGraw.

When McGraw says it'll forge new ground in the east, she isn't wrong.

There's a house-made persimmon and rhubarb wine on the beverage list, fermented and then rested for 18 days.

It has one of the largest Japanese whisky lists in the country, and cocktails such as Isabel's take on the Miso, a blend of burnt edo miso, armagnac, rum and distilled milk.

Consultant chef Phil Davenport, who made his name as head chef at Ku De Ta in Bali, has designed "hero dishes to go with hero cocktails".

A nashi pear danger juice (fermented nashi pear spiked with a snowpea-based eau de vie) is matched with ocean trout tartare with burnt eggplant puree, spicy yuzu dressing and black radish.

The chef explains that his love for the cuisine was born during his school years, when his palate was awoken by the bento lunch boxes of a Japanese friend.

He points to a wagyu dish with miso mustard hollandaise and sesame bean sprouts as a must-try.

A co-production from owners McGraw, Geraint Coles and Mitchell Slattery (Panama House) and Michael Riley (Milkbox Tuckshop), Isabel Bondi opens on Thursday.

Open Wed-Fri 4.30pm-midnight; Sat noon-midnight; Sun noon-10pm.

Level 103, 180-186 Campbell Parade, Bondi, isabelbondi.com