ESCA Hospitality Group will open Amé, a Nikkei restaurant bringing Japanese-Peruvian cuisine to Oxford Street, Darlinghurst, led by executive chef Erik Ortolani (Itō, Jōji), on Thursday 22 October.
Amé celebrates the coming together of Peruvian and Japanese culture. Nikkei traces back to 1899, when Japanese migrants settled in Peru and began adapting their cooking to local ingredients, giving rise to a new culinary tradition – one that Amé now reinterprets for a modern Sydney audience.
“Amé is our most ambitious project yet, and one that’s been five years in the making,” says Ibby Moubadder, co-founder and creative director of ESCA Group. “Nikkei is still incredibly underrepresented in Australia, and we’re excited to interpret it through a Sydney lens on one of Oxford Street’s most renowned corners. Amé is a venue and an experience that we hope will contribute to the next chapter of a street that has played such an important part of Sydney’s story.”
The menu is designed by executive chef Erik Ortolani, who also leads the kitchens at ESCA’s Japanese-Italian restaurant Itō and Japanese rooftop bar Jōji. Ortolani spent time in Peru, experiencing Nikkei in its origins. Ortolani worked his way through markets, cevicherías, tabernas and leading restaurants to explore the breadth of the cuisine. Amé’s menu is built on Peru’s bold flavours, elevated by Japanese technique, while celebrating Australian seafood and produce.
“My training has shaped everything I’ve done at Itō and Jōji to date, and it’s the foundation I’ve brought to Amé,” says Erik Ortolani, executive chef of Amé. “What interests me about Nikkei is the way these two distinct cuisines come together, and the balance between the precision of Japanese food and the boldness of Peruvian cooking. At Amé, I’ve taken that foundation and worked with the exceptional seafood and produce we have here in Australia to create something that feels true to both influences.”
Highlights on the opening menu include: tuna nigiri acevichado, a Peruvian-inspired nigiri; spanner crab causa croquette, a Japanese korokke blended with a Peruvian causa; arroz con pato, Peru’s traditional duck rice prepared as an okoge, served in a cast iron pan with ginger dashi and aji ponzu; and Murray cod with inaka miso and spring peas. To finish, desserts include a dark chocolate and lucuma mousse, and a citrus financier with yuzu curd and passionfruit granita.
The beverage program, led by Jerom Morris (formerly of Los Angeles’ Gwen by Curtis Stone, and Accomplice Bar), is built around staple ingredients of Japan and Peru, designed to complement the food. Cocktails include: Spice Crown, a curried pineapple daiquiri; Aji Canopy, capsicum-infused Beefeater with gentian, Cocchi Americano and elderflower; and The Pink Rabbit, a strawberry milk punch with gin and Chartreuse, finished with freshly charged shishito.
Amé is located on the ground floor of the heritage-listed 90 Oxford Street site, a hub of self-expression since its inception in 1927. The building’s Streamline Moderne exterior features Vitroline cladding and stainless steel detailing. Inside, the 115-seat space has been designed by ESCA Group’s longtime collaborator, architect Matt Darwon. Sheer curtains in chilli red, orange, turquoise and mustard divide the room into a series of intimate spaces, allowing coloured light to filter through. Banquette seating is lit from below, creating a warm, ambient atmosphere, while the original pillars and heritage plasterwork retain a connection to the building’s history. Subtle nods to ESCA’s portfolio appear throughout the space, including timber tables with chrome accents and kimono-inspired uniforms. The space is calm and considered, offering a quieter counterpoint to the bustle of Oxford Street.
Amé forms part of Oxford & Foley, the Darlinghurst precinct also home to the recently opened Mecca Coffee and Aenza, with Soho House set to open next door in 2028.
Amé will open for dinner Monday and Tuesday from 5:30pm to 9pm, and for lunch and dinner Wednesday to Sunday with reservations from 12pm-2:30pm, 5:30-9pm.
