Meet the owners

Meet Ellie

Award-winning KIBOU Japanese Kitchen & Bar opened its fifth restaurant in Cambridge, serving authentic dishes, from steaming bowls of ramen and pillowy steamed bao buns to sushi and sashimi. General Manager Ellie Banfield gives us a culinary tour

What inspired KIBOU to open its largest restaurant to date in Cambridge?

Cambridge has always been on our target list and when the beautiful Grade II listed premises on Jesus Lane became available, we felt we could reignite the flame of the building, which was closed throughout covid. Cambridge was also a good fit for KIBOU as it’s a busy bustling city and a foodie hub with lots of independent restaurants and businesses.

There’s a real air of wow-factor to the décor. What inspired the designers?

The décor is bold, bright and with these huge floral installations in the centre of the Mirror Room and the Oak Room, which are eye-catching and so instagrammable! We’ve gone for colour and vibrancy, as we want our venue to be a place you can have fun, enjoy cocktails and great food and feel like you’re being served by friends. Our artist Martyna Sabadasz designs the Japanese murals and portraits for all five sites, and has her own take on each venue, so her art is a fusion of Japanese culture and city-specific surroundings. Look closer and you’ll see the Cambridge waterways and bridges incorporated into her murals.

For the benefit of newcomers, how do you describe the food offering at KIBOU?

Our menu is extensive and exciting, with everything from katsu curries, ramens and hearty winter dishes to home-made pork gyozas or our tempura dynamite prawns with a sweet miso chilli glaze, which are
amazing! If you’re new to Japanese food, our chef can create a platter featuring the freshest and best produce we have on the menu that day, so a bit of a tasting plate with a lot of fresh fish sashimi and sushi.

Which are your signature dishes in Cambridge?

Our volcano rolls, which are a salmon and avocado sushi roll with light tempura batter on the outside, flash fried, so they are crispy, a little bit warm, but you still get that fresh salmon in the middle. They are coated with beautiful unagi sweet chilli sauces and are super delicious. Other favourites include our soft-shell crab sushi rolls, our premium A5 Japanese wagyu – which the Cambridge foodies love – and the tokujo moriawase, which is our premium 20-piece sushi sharing platter.

We hear you offer a KIBOU afternoon tea, too?

Yes, it is Japanese-infused so comes with sashimi, sea bream nigiri, prawn tempura California rolls, sushi rolls, miso chocolate sesame tartlets and mochi ice cream. It’s the perfect fusion of sweet and savoury served on a beautiful three-tiered afternoon tea stand.

Can you tell us about your amazing Japanese-inspired cocktails and Sake?

The cocktails are real showstoppers, with a lot of care and attention going into their presentation. The most popular is the KIBOU, a delicious fusion of lychee, rose, gin, bergamot, lime and bitters, which comes in our signature long-stemmed coupe glass.

People are also intrigued to try the Sake so we have a Sake flight tasting board which comes with four different types which we can talk you through.

And what about non-alcohol options for Dry January aficionados?

Our non-alcoholic offerings have been so popular because of their amazing flavour profiles, especially our Rhubarb and Jasmine Fizz which is a pink drink, blending rhubarb, cranberry and fresh lemon with white peach and jasmine soda, served with fresh flowers. One of my favourites is our Mero Mero, which is watermelon, pear, mint and lemon, topped with an alcohol-free beer. It’s a really refreshing long drink, with a seven-spice chilli rim for a kick of heat!

How have the folk of Cambridge and beyond received KIBOU?

People have been blown away by our offering. I think it’s the fact that we are housed in a beautiful building, which we’ve been able to fill with stunning décor, amazing food and friendly service, so that’s proven a winning formula!

KIBOU Japanese Kitchen & Bar is at 7a Jesus Lane, Cambridge. Find out more at kibou.co.uk