Pantry

Ako and James opened the popular Ima Project Cafe in Carlton back in 2018. The cafe quickly gained a reputation for serving up quality Japanese food and delicious coffee.

After successfully running the cafe for a few years and navigating through the pandemic, they decided to temporarily close their cafe and experiment with a new concept - an Izakaya Sake Bar. The pop-up was a massive hit, and it convinced Ako and James to take their next big step.

They made the decision to move to a new space and open a full-fledged restaurant. They sold the leasehold for Ima Project cafe to a local business and have opened not one, but two new ventures at the Nightingale Village in Brunswick: a restaurant in one space and a pantry in the other.

Interior Design by Kennedy Nolan