Cocoro, the 'little sister' of well-known Japanese hotspot Soto has opened in Ponsonby and has already received excellent feedback.

The restaurant can be classed as modern Japanese and offers a degustation style menu including Japanese tapas. Gascoigne Associates had the pleasure of working with the owners on the interior of the restaurant to create an environment that is modern, comfortable and simple.

The décor includes black carpet with subtle tatami-style matting, sandblasted concrete ceilings, Macrocarpa slats and a large dining table in the middle of the room where diners sit side by side. All of the selected materials are recyclable.

The result is a space that is suitable for both lunch and dinner, has a contemporary Japanese feel and compliments the tapas style menu with its simplicity.

For the NZ Herald article on Cocoro, please click here.

Denizen has also written a great piece on the restaurant, which you can view here.