A project that spans several years for its owners, Japanese restaurant Pachinko opened in Quadrant Mall five weeks ago.
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Pachinko is owned by chef Jonny McCoy and front of house manager Ally McCoy, who have turned the space into a bright, easygoing venue.
"Our ideas have morphed over the years and they were always changing with the different venues we were looking into, but we just felt that this little space really lent itself to doing something fun, informal and casual with a Japanese style of cuisine," Mr McCoy said.
"I feel like the climate and the food in Tasmania is really conducive to doing Japanese style cooking.
"It's very seasonal and fresh, but we also wanted to be casual and fun as well. The long space fits really well with a Japanese ramen-style bar."
The couple have travelled extensively, researching food and trends to get the right combination for their restaurant.
"We have travelled to Japan and spent a lot of time travelling around Asia and I spent a lot of time working in high-end fine dining restaurants on the mainland and a lot of those restaurants are really informed by Japanese cooking," Mr McCoy said.
Launceston diners have been filling the 20-seat restaurant ever since it opened in January.
"We've been quite busy. We've had a positive response and we've had a lot of repeat customers," he said.
"Businesses in the area have welcomed us in and we're feeling very supported by our broader hospitality community, which is really nice."
Pachinko is open Tuesday to Saturday for lunch and Wednesday to Saturday for dinner, with bookings taken for dinner.
"We've usually got seats for lunch. We haven't had to turn anyone away for lunch time."
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