Expect a modern Japanese temaki counter and speakeasy-style listening bar.
Chef Neha Mishra is a homegrown success story in the UAE. She is behind one of the country’s most successful Japanese restaurants, Kinoya. Now, she has teamed with Atelier House Hospitality to launch a new Japanese temaki concept. Taking its name from the Japanese word for “handmade,” Tezukuri is built around craftsmanship, intimacy, and precision.
Atelier House Hospitality and Neha Mishra’s temaki concept aims to offer an interactive dining experience. The guests will be able to interact with chefs during meal preparation. Plus, there will be a speakeasy bar called Kissa, featuring a specialised cocktail program.
At the core of the experience is temaki. Here, the hand roll is treated as a live moment rather than a simple bite, rooted in timing and restraint. Rolls are prepared to order and passed directly across the counter, so guests taste the nori at its crispest and the rice at its ideal temperature. “Temaki is deceptively simple,” says Chef Neha Mishra. “It demands absolute precision, the right temperature of rice, the texture of the nori, the balance of flavour. The moment it is passed to the guest, everything must be in harmony. That is what makes it so powerful, it is alive for just a few seconds.”
Behind a minimalist doorway, a speakeasy-style listening bar completes the experience. Conceived as a discreet yet expressive counterpart to the dining counter, it offers cocktails that focus on clarity, balance, and technique, set to the crackle and warmth of vinyl. “The listening bar completes the story,” says Panchali Mahendra, CEO and partner at Atelier House Hospitality. “It is a place that mirrors the philosophy of the kitchen, deliberate, layered, and quietly confident. We wanted to create something that feels global yet deeply personal, where the craft of a martini holds the same respect as the making of a hand roll.”
Kinoya boasts one of Dubai’s most charming restaurant stories. Neha originally started the concept as a supper club entitled A Story of Food, which she ran from her home for nearly three years. She served more than 7,000 happy diners and became well-known for her signature ramen.
In 2021, Kinoya opened its first restaurant in Dubai’s Onyx Tower– as it was so popular, it was tough to get a reservation. If you’re one of the lucky diners who have managed to relish the ramen, you’ll know what all the foodie fuss is about. Since then, it has notched up rave reviews from locals and critics and has been awarded a place in the Michelin Guide Dubai’s Bib Gourmand list and MENA World’s 50 Best Restaurants. Plus, she has bought the brand to the luxury department store, Harrods.
Neha has confirmed that Tezukuri will not resemble her debut restaurant, Kinoya.
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