Restaurant Openings Westport Japanese Homepage homepage Chef Brian Lewis' OKO Japanese Restaurant Opening Soon!! Stephanie Webster March 16, 2018 Exciting news from Chef Brian Lewis and his entire team. Chef Lewis' new Japanese concept OKO will be opening soonFrom Lewis: “I have been really inspired by Japanese cooking techniques, culture and ingredients for a very long time, studying and layering Japanese influences into my cooking for many years, but it was the introduction of the Okonomiyaki at The Cottage that was my real ‘a-ha’” moment in defining the direction for my next restaurant.Introducing the Okonomiyaki, a savory, Japanese pancake filled with seasonally-inspired ingredients, was a whimsical addition to our menu - Japanese street food with some rarefied touches. Our guests absolutely loved this dish and it quickly became a Cottage favorite, which will likely stay on the menu as a Cottage Classic.Ordering the Okonomiyaki had proven to be a bit of a tongue-twister for our guests and our staff, and anyone calling or responding to the ticket would add their own personal ‘flair’ to the word, so we finally gave the dish a nickname which really just stuck, calling it “oko,” which we used often and with affection, if not a chuckle. To pay homage to the spark behind this entire concept, I’m excited to share with you that the new restaurant is named OKO. Truth be told, once my four-year-old twin boys – Jude and Jax were asked how they felt about the name OKO, they screamed it all day long….it was a natural fit!Since making the announcement last summer, my team and I have been busy focusing on this new concept. I truly feel that OKO is a heartfelt vision and interpretation of the ingredients, cooking methods, cuisine and culture of all things Japanese, paired with both amazing local ingredients from Connecticut and throughout the United States. I’m excited to share this vision with you when we open in a few weeks!”OKO will be opening soon in a treasured Westport landmark, The Vigilant Hose Company Firehouse, at 6 Wilton Road. Please see attached for the image of the official sign being installed on the building this afternoon.Stay tuned for updates at https://okokitchen.com/, and via the restaurant’s new social media pages, which are now live:Facebook: OKO WestportInstagram: OKOWestportTwitter: OKO_WestportI’ll be in touch soon with the opening date, menus, etc. Thank you in advance and have a great weekend!
