Jōji by Matt Darwon

Jōji, a rooftop bar and restaurant from Esca Group, has opened atop the Cartier boutique in Sydney’s CBD. Designed by Matt Darwon, the venue promises to lure in lunch goers and late-night revellers alike for its slick interiors, convivial atmosphere and inventive, Japanese-inspired menu.

There’s an endearing, surreptitious undertone to Jōji. Its location five storeys above street level, secretive entry and partially concealed outdoor terrace – the high balustrade of the existing FJC Studio-designed building encases the venue’s outer edges, shielding it from the hubbub of busy George and King Streets below – all contribute to the speakeasy-esque condition.

“The ability to look across the venue past the terrace area towards the neighbouring high-rise buildings was an important design element. It’s almost like an expansion of the footprint out into the city.”

This furtiveness continues upon stepping off the elevator and into the space, where a dimly lit lounge area, dining space and terrace sit in the foreground of the surrounding cityscape. Darwon says this effect lends a certain “surrealness” to the experience of Jōji. “A venue that faces high-rise building facades – still and almost lifeless at night – is such a departure from a street-level venue where people passing by can see in and vice versa.”

Inspired by the menu, the design nods to Japanese design with a mix of traditional and modern elements, and the layout helps to define the various agendas at play – from the low-slung lounges to the chef’s counter seating overlooking the custom two-metre-long robata grill. “The spaces were conceived as a continuous program, and each of the distinct areas of the venue are within view of each other,” says Darwon. “The ability to look across the venue past the terrace area towards the neighbouring high-rise buildings was an important design element. It’s almost like an expansion of the footprint out into the city.”

This is the third venue Darwon has designed for Esca Group, alongside Middle Eastern fine-diner Aalia and izakaya spot Itō, and though each expresses its own identity, there are common threads, with Darwon citing handmade timber elements and lighting.

Large windows indeed offer views to the surrounding architectural fabric and a palette of burgundy tones, Tasmanian blackwood and spotted gum facilitates an intimate atmosphere within. Custom steel elements – “some in a dull buffed finish and some in a mirror-polished finish” – including the diaphanous screens encasing the entry, offer an edge to the softer palette of timber and woollen upholstery. What’s more, the acoustic-panelled ceiling, which creates an enveloping feeling, tempers the noise when live DJ sets and vinyl sessions kick off around sundown.

This is the third venue Darwon has designed for Esca Group, alongside Middle Eastern fine-diner Aalia and izakaya spot Itō, and though each expresses its own identity, there are common threads, with Darwon citing handmade timber elements and lighting. The strongest link, however, is the pursuit of simplicity and restraint. “Visual simplicity can instil a sort of clarity for the patron,” he says, adding that “straightforward connections between the parts comprising the whole are key to projecting a relaxed, enjoyable and hopefully uplifting experience – even if on a subconscious level.”

Architecture by Matt Darwon. Build by GP2 Projects. Landscape design by Jorge Farah. Timber furniture and joinery by Rolf Barfoed. Architectural steel furniture by Ferro Forma.