Chef Lewis Lin has been steadily growing his burgeoning empire of Japanese restaurants across the city, first with Susuru in Lake Buena Vista, then Juju in Colonialtown and, most recently, with Hinabe (née Nabe), a wagyu hot-pot speakeasy he launched inside Nola’s Ice Cream with Khoa Nguyen and Keren Swan.
But before the year is done, Lin will open the doors to Neko San, a quick-style omakase concept and sake bar next door to Susuru at 8546 Palm Parkway (map) in Lake Buena Vista. “Neko” is the Japanese word for “cat,” a name he chose in memory of the felines that once patrolled the area behind the restaurant, and who held a special place in the hearts of Susuru’s workers.
“We’ve been caring for the feral cats hanging out behind Susuru since before it opened,” Lin says. “They were polite and gentle and would always line up waiting outside in the morning and night for food.”
Lin was so enamored by the kitties that he adopted two as his own. So, it’s fitting that Neko San will be easy on the, umm, purrr-se strings.
The one-hour, nigiri-focused meal will start at $65 (hellooo, kitty!) with such cuts as kanpachi, madai and fatty tuna (akami, chutoro, otoro) along with rare, seasonal fish like ishidai (striped beakfish), nishin (Pacific herring) and kinki (channel rockfish) being offered. Most selections will be sourced from Tokyo’s Toyosu Fish Market, and as far as the sushi rice is concerned, Lin will use a blend of koshihikari and tamanishiki rice to “achieve a balanced texture.”
The interior will be curated by Make Design Studios, the same folks who brought the dining rooms of Camille, Sorekara and Ômo by Jônt to life. Neko San (translation “Mr. Cat”) will house a six-seat omakase counter and an adjacent six-seat sake tasting bar, and both rooms will be (unsurprisingly) adorned with cat art.
Lin has been holding onto the space for about three years and planned on opening a handroll concept called Mao Mao, named after the elder of the cats he adopted. But plans changed.
“It just didn’t feel like a handroll bar was a good fit for the area. I wanted to open a difference-maker and serve a variety of different fishes and ingredients without the stress of formality, so the quick omakase concept was a better fit.”
Unlike the kaiseki-style omakase at Juju’s kappo counter, Neko San will resemble the “Nigiri-Kase” Juju offers albeit with fresh fish instead of dry-aged cuts.
Guests can walk in for the “modestly luxe” hour-long experience, or enjoy a shot of sake at the sake bar while waiting for their omakase. Reservations can also be made via Resy.
In the meantime, follow @nekosanfl for updates.
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