An ambitious Brazilian/Japanese restaurant opens in Newcastle’s Quayside next week, which its founders believe has the potential for national and international expansion.
Nipo takes its name from the Nipo-Brasileiro community of São Paulo, said to the be the largest concentration of Japanese people outside Japan, and is the brainchild of the team behind Newcastle’s Rio Brazilian Steakhouses, Rodrigo Grassi Duarte (left in picture) and Howard Eggleston.
The restaurant has taken over the site of one of Howard’s Tomahawk Steakhouses, and is described by Rodrigo as a reimagining of the “energy, generosity and theatre” of their Rio brand through “a completely different lens“.
“It’s more refined, more unexpected and more considered but the same belief runs through both: exceptional food, genuine hospitality and an experience that stays with you.
“We’ve been developing NIPO for the last two years: looking at how we could create something genuinely different – not just another restaurant but a concept with its own identity, energy and sense of discovery.
“São Paulo is such an important part of the story. It has this incredible Japanese-Brazilian community, where Japanese precision and respect for ingredients have become part of Brazilian culture. That connection gave us the inspiration for NIPO and the idea of creating our own interpretation of that meeting point.”
Nipo will have a sushi station where guests can watch chefs prepare the seafood, while other Japanese-inspired dishes will showcase techniques of robata-style slow-grilling over charcoal. Alongside those will be dishes drawing from Brazilian traditions, such as flame-cooked picanha, while wines and cocktails have been chosen to complement the menu.
Howard said he and Rodrigo have been working on the concept for two years: “Every detail has been considered, from the food and drinks to the service and atmosphere because we’re not simply opening a new restaurant in Newcastle – we’re establishing a brand that we believe has the potential to grow nationally and internationally.“
Howard and Rodrigo have seven Rio Steakhouses across northern England and Scotland, with an eighth opening soon in Glasgow. Howard has seven branches of Tomahawk across the northeast following the conversion of one branch to Nipo and the closure of another at Acklam Hall, with an eighth due to open soon in Harrogate. He is also behind La Terezza tapas restaurant in Yarm, Little Lotus pan-Asian kitchen in Easglescliffe, pubs Mr Flynn’s in Durham and The Hawk in Northumberland, and country and western themed bar Silver Spur in York.