A PROUD restaurant owner is excited about the future after expanding his business into a new, much larger site in Colchester.
The popular Koryu Japanese restaurant has now moved from 34 Osborne Street to 118 High Street.
Owner Suman Dahal, 35, originally from Nepal, originally opened Tokyo Sizzle in Osborne Street in October 2019, aimed at younger people.
He said he made the decision to rebrand the restaurant after struggling during the pandemic.
He then reopened the site as Koryu in August 2021 and has since grown the restaurant into a popular spot for Japanese food with a focus on “good food and premium ingredients”.
The Osborne Street Restaurant had space for 18 covers, but the new High Street restaurant is expected to have space for up to 70 people for big events.
The name Koryu has multiple meanings in Japanese, with the owner saying the typical meaning is “traditional art”.
He said: “Normally we have bookings a couple of weeks in advance for weekends due to space limitations.
“Last year we had to shut down bookings because of the number of covers in the shop, because of the high demand.
“We really like the former Koryu building, it’s an old building and we did everything from scratch.
“Our main reason for moving is because of the number of covers and the toilets being upstairs was hectic for some, so I have to consider this for our customers.
“Valentine’s day was booked by November last year, that’s how quickly it got booked up by our loyal customers.
“The main restaurant has space for around 40 covers and downstairs will be for events- so we will be considering that for the future.
“There are so many eatery places now. We want to be unique and welcome people in. We are going to do our best to survive.
“I am proud of myself. It’s all ups and downs, the pandemic, limited covers, labour costs but the move will allow us to make the economics work properly.
“There will be enough covers, we’re in the centre of the High Street and there’s a public car park behind the restaurant.
“It’s a very convenient location for customers so I can’t ask for more than this.
“I’m not that nervous as we know we have done good in the past. We have good reviews and we hope this will continue.”
Koryu has moved into a building left empty after Mangiare Fresh Pasta Bar closed.
The pasta restaurant opened in February 2023 and before Mangiare, it was the site of Mexican street food and cocktail bar, El Guaca.
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