Studio 54-style ‘disco omakase’ is the theme of the new Sushi by Bou location in Center City
It's rhythm and rolls as Sushi by Bou sets up a disco themed omakase room in Center City, complete with weekend lounge.
As the intimate sushi experience known as omakase has become more popular in America, restaurateurs have gotten more creative with the settings.
SimpleVenue, for example, set up its first Sushi by Bou location five years ago in a 150-square-foot hotel room on the 10th floor of a New York City hotel, and took the concept national. Two years ago, it came to Philadelphia with a high-end omakase brand called Sushi Suite, tucked into the back room of a sushi bar in Fishtown with a Roaring ’20s theme. Over the spring, SimpleVenue rebranded that location into a Sushi by Bou, decorating it in a 1990s hip-hop style.
For its next Sushi by Bou, opening Friday at the former Leda & the Swan nightspot at 1224 Chestnut St. in Washington Square West, SimpleVenue has rolled back the calendar to 1977.
Is Philly ready for disco omakase?
Designers have built a 10-seat sushi bar, beneath glittery chandeliers meant to evoke Studio 54, for two omakase experiences under chef Kinzang Wangchuk: $65 for 12 courses or $125 for the 17-course “Bou-gie upgrade,” which starts with a “Kanpai” toast with the chefs.
Like the Sushi by Bou’s other experiences, they last one hour and are served Wednesday through Sunday from 5 p.m.
The rest of the room is set up as a lounge; only drinks are served. There are velvet booths, mirror balls, and back in a corner booth, a black-and-white gallery of iconic moments from the Carter administration.
On Friday and Saturday nights, the restaurant turns into BouBar, with DJs spinning classic disco and house music, plus bottle service and cocktails.
The location is a partnership between Glu Hospitality (Derek Gibbons and Tim Lu, former operators of Leda & the Swan) and SimpleVenue (Michael Sinensky and Erika London, with nightlife impresario Richie Romero).
Representatives of SimpleVenue have previously mentioned a sushi location opening in the Rittenhouse Square area, but were not prepared to disclose details.