A modern exploration of traditional Japanese cuisine from chef’s table to cocktail lounge set within the industrial bones of a Waterloo warehouse.

Offering a sense of fun and occasion, Executive Chef Nobuyuki Ura from hatted CBD restaurant sushi e will oversee this modern take on one’s of Australian’s favourite cuisines, presiding over three distinct offerings.

The first, inside the venue’s main area, is our lounge restaurant which reflects Western tastes by blending a sushi menu with dishes drawn from across the Japanese spectrum. Our menu includes braised and steamed dishes from the kitchen, Japanese street food as well as seafood, meat and vegetables cooked on the charcoal grill.

The second offering is a sophisticated chef’s table with a special Omakase menu. This puts you in the hands of our Executive Chef as he creates and prepares a special menu every month.

The third offering is our cocktail lounge and event space, So She Me. Whether it’s a lavish feast, cocktails with friends or an intimate gathering, this is the place to kick things into gear. Settle on our low-flung amber booths and peruse our extensive Japanese-inspired beverage selection. Sit back, and let the innovative, progressive beats of So She Me introduce you to new faces. You never know who you might rub shoulders with.

Across all elements of Ora, the key focus of Executive Chef Nobuyuki Ura will be on freshness and seasonality.

Ura says what separates Japanese cuisine from all others is that ‘it’s deceptively simple and designed to showcase prime produce, picked at the height of the season’. While Ura began his apprenticeship age 18 at Meguro Gajoen, a small luxury hotel in Tokyo, he has been in Australia since 1989, serving Japanese cuisine in his adopted home.  He joined sushi e as executive chef in 2006 and took it to great heights as a hatted restaurant, praised by The Sydney Morning Herald’s food critics.

ŌRA is a play on Aura and represents “the distinctive atmosphere or quality that seems to surround and be generated by a person, thing, or place”. With the interior by Kelly Ross, you’ll be able to move easily from a curated dining experience to late night high-jinks, with a sense of ease and pleasure.

Showcasing the very best Australian produce, the menu at Ora sits alongside a beverage offering that includes seasonal cocktails; artisanal Sake from New-Gen makers and an international wine list, that includes some Japanese examples.