50 Norman, opening this Friday, September 16, will bring authentic Japanese food and culture straight to Greenpoint, Brooklyn.
Designed by Japanese architect Jo Nagasaka and worked on by TANK, a Tokyo-based team of Japanese skillful craftsmen, this 3,500-square-foot space will be home to three retail and dining spaces–House Brooklyn, Okume, and Cibone.
From Chef Yuji Tani will come House Brooklyn, the American debut of the renowned Tokyo restaurant of the same name. This eight-seat restaurant will serve a nine-course Japanese French omakase tasting menu for $160, working to bring the “farm on the dish” and embodying all the farmers and craftsmen involved in creating each plate. House Brooklyn won’t be opening alongside the other tenants, however, and have set their official opening date to October 22, 2022.
Established in Japan in 1871, fish intermediate wholesaler Okume will bring the “Umami” of Japanese Dashi straight to Brooklyn. Dashi is made from bonito flakes, dried sardines, konbu seaweed, and dried shiitake mushrooms, eventually named “Umami” by a Japanese scholar, and has been used in Japanese cooking for a long time.
Cibone will offer a number of Japanese home goods, such as utensils, authentic Japanese arts and crafts, ceramics, and more. The items will be a mixture of both contemporary and classic Japanese styles that are not mechanically mass-produced and will showcase the power of Japanese craftsmanship.
Throughout 50 Norman you’ll find reclaimed wood from demolished old houses in Kyoto, meant to invoke the true essence and timelessness of Japan. The team behind the marketplace hopes that guests will feel as close to Japan as they feel to Brooklyn from Tokyo.
The marketplace is set to open this Friday, September 16. You can follow along with updates on their website or Instagram.