JUST days after starting to accept reservations, new Japanese restaurant ichigo ichie has bookings up until July and has opened waiting lists for guests anxious for a table.

The restaurant is the new project from Japanese chef Takashi Miyazaki, following on from the success of his Miyazaki takeaway on Evergreen Street.

That restaurant, a hit since it opened in 2015, has only a small number of stools along a single counter and sells Japanese-style street food.

ichig oichie, on the other hand, will offer customers a chance to experience Japanese fine dining, with a no-choice, 12-course tasting menu on offer for €95 per person.

The restaurant’s website promises ‘elaborately prepared dishes that represent the seasons.'

The restaurant has been hotly anticipated since chef Miyazaki announced his plans in September and he is delighted with the early bookings.

“We open on Friday, April 20 and it is really good how much interest there has been,” Mr Miyazaki told the Evening Echo. 

“We are only accepting reservations for three months and the counter is already booked out at weekends.” 

The chef, who has cooked for pop icons Rod Stewart and Sting in the past, had a very clear vision for the restaurant and spent several months searching for the right premises.

ichig oichie will be located on Sheares Street, where long-standing Cork favourite Fenn's Quay used to be.

The new restaurant will have 25 seats in three defined areas - the 5-seat kappou counter where guests can watch while the food is prepared, the Nagomi room which seats 12 or the garden area where up to eight guests can eat.

The restaurant is accepting bookings on its website - http://ichigoichie.ie. 

Interested diners are expected to provide credit card details when booking and may be charged for late cancellations.