Koji Izakaya will initially operate on Wednesday and Thursday evenings on the ground floor of the city centre venue, serving a menu that applies Japanese technique to the same high-quality British ingredients already championed by the highly-rated vegetable-centric restaurant.
Dishes will include chalk stream trout nigiri, grilled mushrooms, skewers, gyoza-stuffed chicken wings and Japanese soufflé cheesecake.
Fowler, whose CV includes working under Andy Witheridge at The Salty Monk in Somerset, discovered Japanese cuisine through his partner’s Japanese heritage, which led the pair to make repeated visits to the country.
During the Covid-19 lockdowns, Fowler launched Bushi Sushi, a delivery operation that grew steadily before coming to an end when he was appointed head chef at Root Bristol.
“The fusion’s just going to come from the fact that the ingredients will be mainly English,” says Fowler. “And I think that’s enough fusion, basically.”
Reflecting on his experiences in Japan, he adds: “Every izakaya I went into in Japan, I ended up talking to someone. That’s the atmosphere we’re trying to recreate – casual, sociable and unhurried.”
The drinks list has been designed to match the food in ambition, featuring house sakes, Japanese whiskies from Nikka and Yamazaki, highballs and cocktails made with Japanese spirits.
Koji is the result of a long-running conversation between Fowler and Josh Eggleton, whose Pony Restaurant Group operates a number of restaurants across the South West including Pony Chew Valley, The Kensington Arms and fish and chip group Salt & Malt.
“Koji is a representation of the longstanding relationships that we have at The Pony Group with our staff,” says Eggleton. “We want to encourage and support their passions wherever possible, and Japanese food is Joel’s passion, so it’s a dream to be able to offer him the opportunity to make that a reality.”
There is currently no end date for the residency.
It is understood that the team plans to increase opening hours over time and could eventually look to secure a permanent site for the concept.
Root Bath launched last year following the success of Bib Gourmand-holding sister sites in Bristol and Wells.
Located within a former Jamie’s Italian restaurant that had stood vacant since the group’s collapse in 2019, the venue is the largest in the group, with almost 100 covers.