As we walked through the door of Mumbles' new Japanese restaurant, the owner greeted us with a huge smile on his face - before he even realised we were there to interview him. Frank Nishimura is very proud to have relocated his popular 'Nishimura' restaurant from its small base in Brynymor Road, Brynmill to a larger restaurant in Mumbles Road, Mumbles - but to have kept the same, huge menu customers know and love.
The new restaurant has been designed with a "modern Japanese" aesthetic in mind and is light and airy, with subtle Japanese decor - as well as a massive, striking mural of Mount Fuji on one outside wall and a mural of two lucky Japanese fish on the other.
Nishimura on Brynymor Road had just enough space for around 20 guests - though people would often queue out the door to wait for a table there - so customers will be pleased to know that the restaurant, in the former Village Carvery unit, is much bigger, sitting 60. With the restaurant having moved to Mumbles, the original Nishimura in Brynmill is set to be changed into a Japanese bar in the near future, Frank said.
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Explaining his decision to move his restaurant to Mumbles, Frank explained previously : "The Mumbles is the location most people in Swansea think is the best. Tourists and travellers come to Swansea and they visit Mumbles and find it has lots of good restaurants like Verdi's and Bistro Pierre, [so we wanted to open our second restaurant in the area]."
"We opened Nishimura in Brynymor Road eight years ago, in 2014," he added on Wednesday. "At the beginning it was hard, but as time went on, more and more people would come and visit us. Lots of regulars would come from Mumbles and in the summer time, Mumbles is a very popular area [so we wanted to be here]. Two years ago I decided we needed a bigger restaurant, so started looking at new places and I liked this one in Mumbles, I was looking for somewhere I could have long-term.
"It's brighter than the Brynmill restaurant and it's modern-Japanese. We have 60 covers and we can have parties, families, companies [corporate events], birthdays here," he added. For more stories about Mumbles, go here.
On the extensive menu at Nishimura, you'll find nigiri (finger-shaped rice topped with various topping such as salmon, tuna or prawn), gunkan (oval shaped rolls of rice wrapped in seaweed and topped with things like spicy tuna, fish roe, salmon belly), sashimi (fresh raw fish or meat), futomaki (large seaweed rolls of rice filled with fish or vegetables), sushi platters, noodle dishes and bento boxes - we tried the Nishimura Bento Box on our visit and thought it was delicious! The restaurant also serves beer, wine, sake and soft drinks.
Frank has invested around £200,000 in the refurbishment of the new restaurant and is particularly pleased with how "bright and spacious" the restaurant is. "It's a bit traditional and a bit modern, it's beautiful food and professional chefs," he said. "The restaurant was professionally designed and it's bright and spacious. Later in the year, we will be adding dividers [between tables] and more decoration."
Nishimura takes its name from Frank's surname, which is a common surname in Japan and means "vast village," he said. Many of his staff have worked with him since Nishimura launched and some have moved to the new venue in Mumbles, whilst others will stay at the Brynmill venue.
Nishimura is open from 12.15pm to 9.30pm Monday to Saturday, last orders at 9.15pm, and from 12.15pm to 8.45pm on Sundays. You can find it in at 580 Mumbles Road (the unit which previously housed The Village Carvery before its closure) in Mumbles, Swansea, SA3 4DL. As well as dining-in, people can also have their meals to take-away or by delivery. You can order your meal for collection or delivery here.
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