An elevated new dining and experience and cocktail lounge is coming to Stanton Street.
Kaizen Five is the latest concept to come from the mind of Lorcan Shannon. A Doolin native, Shannon has been deeply entrenched in the hospitality industry for nearly his entire life. His first New York concept, Stella & Fly, opened to wide critical acclaim in 2018 thanks to its high quality coffee and cocktails and popular trivia nights. His second restaurant, The Wolfhound, earned significant praise for its celebrated “Trad Week”, which brings together renowned Irish musicians from across the country to play Irish music together. His latest concept, Jack Diamond’s, opened up in Kips Bay last year and was conceived as a celebration of New York culture in the Roaring 20’s.’
Now, Shannon is getting ready to launch a brand new concept for the Lower East Side, and he’s bringing on some impressive talent to develop the concept with him. Lorcan has tapped Joshua Plunkett to serve as Executive Chef, who most recently served as Executive Sous Chef at Saison Hospitality Group. The beverage program meanwhile while be headed by Andreas Sanidiotis, an award-winning mixologist and bar manager who currently runs the bar at Lost + Found Drinkery, a celebrated cocktail bar in Cyprus that is regularly listed as one of the “50 best bars in the world.”
The team’s newest project, Kaizen Five, is described by Lorcan as “a concept dining and cocktail experience that is inspired by the Japanese concept of ‘Kaizen'”, which roughly means “good change” in Japanese. Lorcan intends to operate an organized and exceptionally clean space by employing the principles of Kaizen and the “5 S’s” – a Japanese method of workplace organization that essentially boils down to “Sort, Set in order, Shine, Standardize, and Sustain,” establishing a workplace that is uncluttered and safe, reducing waste and increasing productivity while creating an ambience that is happy and relaxed for customers and employees alike.
Kaizen Five is currently expected to open up at 112 Stanton Street, which is currently the home of Sushumai Asian Fusion. According to a sample menu attached with their liquor license application, Kaizen Five will emphasize Japanese cuisine, offering raw dishes like golden bream and wagyu tartare, fried options like yasai tempura and korokke, as well as grilled options like takoyaki and tsukune. For the beverage menu, sample options include “not so classic” cocktails like the Sansho Pepper with Roku gin, and “Dagashi” cocktails that feature sweet Japanese snacks as ingredients. Kaizen Five will also serve popular tea cocktails known as Ocha-Osake.
Lorcan and his team are currently getting ready to meet with the community board to apply for a new liquor license. They are proposing operating hours of 3:00 PM – 2:00 AM from Sunday to Wednesday, and 3:00 PM – 4:00 AM Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, though those hours are subject to change pending the board’s approval. While Kaizen Five does not yet have any social media accounts active, you can visit Jack Diamond’s to show your support for Lorcan and his team.
