Five years ago, Kaiseki Sakura brought Japanese food that wasn’t based around sushi to Church Street. Then Guu Izakaya came along, and everyone went gaga. But critics have long admired Chef Daisuke Izutsu’s approach to Japanese cuisine, and unfortunately, his restaurant is now closed.
A mass email sent out recently — graciously forwarded to us by The Star’s Corey Mintz — says that the restaurant officially closed on Sept. 25. In the email, Izutsu says he’s looking forward to “a new challenge and experience.” A new venture is in the works, apparently, but it’s too early to announce it, the email says.
We checked out the site yesterday, and the signage has already changed. It’s still a Japanese bar and restaurant, but it’s now called Oishii. An employee who was at the restaurant didn’t elaborate on who is behind project.
We tried calling Kaiseki Sakura’s phone line multiple times to get further information, but the calls went unanswered, and the answering machine is full.
We’re looking forward to seeing what Izutsu has up his sleeve.
Oishii has taken the place of Kaiseki Sakura (Image: Feria Kazemi)