From London to Bali, This Renowned Yakitori Restaurant Brings Binchōtan-Grilled Cuts and a Next-Door Listening Bar to Sanur
This recent addition to Sanur is putting nose-to-tail yakitori, Japanese comfort food and jazzy vinyl tunes on the menu.
Junsei is not your everyday Bali dining experience. Launched in March, this yakitori restaurant has kept diners in London's upscale Marylebone neighbourhood busy since 2021. Now, a sister restaurant has launched in relatively quiet Sanur, still dedicated to Junsei's nose-to-tail approach. For diners, that means the full spectrum of bite-sized morsels grilled over binchōtan, traditional Japanese white charcoal that infuses meat with a gentle smoky flavour.
Seated near the close-quarters open kitchen, the 50-seat restaurant is a fiery affair, with cooks serving up one skewer after the next alongside seasonal sides and palate cleansers. Think chicken meatballs, caramelised with tare, and served with cured egg yolk for dipping. But there are more adventurous options too. Junsei offers a limited selection of rare parts prepared by its in-house butchery, with chicken hearts and tails among the offal available.
Besides skewers, Junsei serves larger plates, bowls and claypot rice dishes, including a shio koji pork chop with mustard, alongside Japanese comfort food, such as soboro don — a minced chicken dish served over steamed rice. For Jakarta-born chef and co-owner Aman Lakhiani, bringing Junsei home to Indonesia was an opportunity to get creative with the formula that has made the London original a standout success.
"I wanted to preserve that izakaya vibe and make sure that local sourcing and quality ingredients are at the forefront of what we do," Lakhiani tells Concrete Playground. "We have definitely changed the dishes to match the Asian palate more, incorporating more offal and slightly more spice to suit Asian tastes, as well as incorporating a lot of the fantastic produce available here in Bali."
However, it's not only the cuisine that brings a distinctly Japanese influence. Next door, Tamba is the restaurant's own Tokyo-inspired listening tea room and cocktail bar, complete with turntables spinning jazz, soul and funk records. Whether you order drinks in the restaurant or settle into the dark, moody ten-seater bar, the beverage program is built around fermentation and umami. For instance, the Quiet Path combines vodka, bright citrus and a delicate foam with koji.
This balance extends to the sound system, which delivers a warm, punchy profile that makes the most of the analogue tunes. "I always wanted to have a listening bar space of my own," says Lakhiani. "Travelling through the Koenji neighbourhood in Tokyo really made me fall in love with classic sound systems and amazing music. Tamba is just my expression of that, and it's a great way to share that vibe with Junsei being connected with sound and food."
The experience continues outside, too, with a covered terrace inviting guests to relish warm Bali nights away from the island's most hectic crowds. While you sit, you might even plan a visit to Lakhiani's newest restaurant, Lamuri, which has opened in the same complex, this time dedicated to the culinary ties between South India and Sumatra.
"I just love how in Sanur we could open up the terrace area a bit more, have an open deck and a more unique music selection, as the customer base here is very mature," explains Lakhiani. "It also allows us to focus on just doing simple food, done really well, without all the glitz that sometimes is sometimes required on the dark side of the island."
Junsei and Tamba are located at Jl. Danau Tamblingan No.49, Sanur, Denpasar Selatan, Kota Denpasar, Bali. Head to the website for more information.
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Images: Supplied.