When Japanese and Peruvian cuisines blend in Sydney

Sydney is poised to get a new niche restaurant offering with ESCA Hospitality Group set to open Amé, a Nikkei restaurant bringing Japanese-Peruvian cuisine to Oxford Street, Darlinghurst. 

Situated on the ground floor of a heritage-listed 1927 building at 84 Oxford Street, Amé will be led by executive chef Erik Ortolani, who is currently executive chef of ESCA’s Itō and Jōji. 

At Amé, Ortolani draws will draw inspiration from the rich culinary tradition born from more than 130 years of Japanese immigration to Peru.

“I’ve always loved Nikkei cuisine - it’s incredibly vibrant, layered and exciting, yet it still feels underrepresented in Sydney,” says Ibrahim Moubadder, co-founder and creative director of ESCA Group. 

“Sydney is one of the greatest dining cities because we don’t just replicate cuisines, our chefs interpret them through the way this city eats, and I don’t think Nikkei has had that moment here yet. That’s what excites us about Amé.”

“Erik has such a strong foundation in Japanese cooking, and after travelling through Peru and immersing himself in its food and culture, he’s bringing those two worlds together through his own perspective. 

"We want Amé to be some of ESCA’s best work yet, a restaurant that makes people fall in love with Nikkei cuisine and shows what it can become in Sydney. I can’t wait to open the doors this October and share what we’ve created.”

Amé - which joins Callao Barangaroo as the second Nikkei offering in Sydney - will form part of Oxford & Foley, the Darlinghurst precinct also home to the recently opened Mecca Coffee and Aenza, with Soho House set to open next door in 2028. 

The opening of Amé follows the recent launches of ESCA venues AALIA Wine Room in Martin Place and Besa in Bondi. 

Amé will open seven days a week for dinner, and for lunch Wednesday-Sunday, from October 2026.

Image: Eric Ortolani and Ibby Moubadder. Provided.