The team formerly behind two of Altrincham's best-known restaurants are making a return to the local dining scene with a new Japanese and Thai concept in Hale.
Joji, a new three-month pop-up restaurant, will open in the former Owen's Kitchen & Bar on Ashley Road in Hale on Wednesday November 11, bringing premium sushi, authentic Thai dishes and charcoal-grilled specialities to the village.
Customers will be able to dine in or order food for takeaway and collection.
Behind the new venture are husband-and-wife team David and Jo Vanderhook, who were instrumental in establishing The Con Club and Unagi as popular dining destinations in Altrincham.
The couple have more than 20 years' experience in Manchester's hospitality scene and are also involved in The George Charles in West Didsbury and Tangerine Mcr in Manchester, where the original Joji concept has already established a following.
"Having been part of Manchester's hospitality scene for over 20 years now, it's really exciting to bring Joji to Hale," the couple said.
"We're locals ourselves, so this feels particularly special, and we can't wait to welcome everyone through the doors."
Joji will offer a different take on Japanese and pan-Asian dining, with a particular emphasis on dry-aged fish – a technique long used in Japan that is now attracting growing attention in high-end sushi restaurants.
David Vanderhook told Altrincham Today: "We're going to do a sushi offering with a bit of a slant on dry-aged fish. They've been doing it in Japan for years, and the States have been doing it for quite a while now.
"We're also doing pan-Asian hot food, but with authentic Thai food as well – clay pots and classic Thai dishes.
"We've got a robata going in too, so we'll be doing yakitori and grilled meat and fish over charcoal."
The kitchen will bring together some familiar faces from the couple's previous restaurants.
Jun, the former head chef at Unagi, will lead the kitchen, while Lewis, previously head chef at The Con Club, is also joining the team.
Lewis has recently spent six weeks in Thailand, with the experience helping to shape the restaurant's authentic Thai offering.
The new Hale restaurant follows the launch of the first Joji at Tangerine in Manchester in January.
That venue has developed a following for its intimate six-seat omakase experience, where diners leave the selection of dishes to the chef.
While the Hale pop-up will initially concentrate on its main restaurant offering, the Vanderhooks are considering introducing special ticketed omakase evenings.
There are also longer-term ambitions to create a dedicated 12-seat omakase counter in the substantial downstairs space.
For now, the restaurant will operate from the main dining room, which has capacity for 74 customers.
The downstairs area, which can accommodate around 50 to 60 people, could also be used for private events and Christmas parties.
The pop-up has initially been planned to run until January, with the possibility of extending the arrangement depending on its success.
Jo Vanderhook said the idea came together remarkably quickly after the couple walked past the former Owen's restaurant.
"We were on a walk about two weeks ago and David just looked at it and said, 'Should we do a Joji pop-up in Owen's?'
"Within 10 days, we've literally done it."
She said the existing restaurant space, including its kitchen, made it possible to get the new venture up and running quickly.
"The kitchen's terrific. We've got Jun, the former head chef at Unagi, heading it up. His food is incredible.
"We are absolutely buzzing for it."
Among the dishes on the Joji menu
David said the couple were looking forward to welcoming back familiar customers and staff, with the new operation expected to employ around 20 people.
"We can't wait," he said. "We've got a lot of people who actually like us, and the way I am, I just like to make things better.
"The sushi offering is going to be a proper step up from what we were doing before."
Joji is expected to open for lunch and dinner, seven days a week, although final opening hours have yet to be confirmed.
The restaurant is scheduled to open on Wednesday November 11.
