Tanoshi expands to Christchurch
It's been almost a decade since Matty Yates and Scott Stevens called time on Queenstown nightclub Tardis and began brainstorming ideas for its Cow Lane premises.
Tanoshi - a fun, back-alley, Osaka-style restaurant serving authentic, traditional Japanese cuisine - was born over a late-night sake with chef Keita Yoshimura.
The trio opened in Cow Lane and then expanded with Ramen Ramen by Tanoshi on nearby Searle Lane, followed by a 100-seat restaurant in Frankton's Five Mile, which is hugely popular with locals.
Now, the brand is heading to Christchurch, with a restaurant in the thick of the city's hospitality hub, the Terrace development, at 93 Cashel Street.
Yates says it was a no brainer.
"Christchurch has one of the most progressive hospitality scenes in the country, and when visiting the city for potential locations for the next Tanoshi, we were blown away with how far the city has come since the earthquakes," he says.
Yates puts the success of Tanoshi down to a combination of a good team, great food, hospitality experience, leadership and a little luck.
"Scotty and I had Tardis for 15 years, and it was an institution, but we essentially grew out of it; there's only so much Jägermeister you can mop up.
"But we'd been in hospitality for most of our lives and we knew the Cow Lane site was really good. We were thinking about all sorts of different food concepts, it was meatballs at one stage, and then, just by luck more than anything else, we got chatting to Keita over a beer and a sake, and thrashed out the idea.
"By 9am the next morning, we'd pulled the trigger on it, and it all happened very quickly after that."
Yoshimura has since returned to Japan and has opened a Tanoshi in Osaka. The cuisine in New Zealand is now led by executive chef Koji Kiminami, who was awarded 'Best Chef' in the Southern Lakes Hospitality Awards 2023.
Tanoshi serves an extensive Japanese tapas selection along with some Osaka classics. The menu also features a ‘build your own ramen' concept, allowing diners to personalise their bowls choosing a variety of base, broth, protein, noodles and toppings.
The menu also includes a genuine Tonkotsu broth made from the highest quality pork bones that are soaked overnight, placed on a rolling boil for more than 12 hours, which is consistently topped up and stirred.
"It’s a labour of love," Yates says. "In fact so much so, that very few restaurants bother. But it’s worth it – after 12 hours, the magic happens when the broth transforms to a rich, creamy texture and flavour. Only then can the broth be truly described as an authentic Tonkotsu broth."
Yates says there's some very good competition in Christchurch, which will keep the team on its toes.
And, after its established, the company could look to expand further afield in New Zealand, with Wellington and Auckland on the radar.