The fast casual coming to the former Bliss Bowl space (Greenwich and Murray) will be Bondi Sushi — a local chain founded in fall 2017 by two young New Yorkers, Justin Hauser and David Hess. I believe the first one was in Nomad — next to their upscale omakase restaurant, Noda (which has since moved to 20th and Fifth). They also have Bondi locations on the Upper East Side and on Kenmare Street.

When they open, hopefully I can get the story behind the name, but from what I can tell there is no legit Aussie connection here. Both owners have finance/business backgrounds, and, according to Eater, Hauser worked in restaurants before and went to Cornell’s hospitality school.

Noda opened in March 2018 and got a Michelin star a year later. The owners moved the chef — Shigeyuki Tsunoda — from Tokyo with his family (hence the name) and now offer a $315 omakase menu along with an extensive Japanese whiskey collection.

More TK soon.