Inside Arigato - the new Japanese restaurant 'hidden' in historic Sunderland city centre street

In the past three years, city businesswoman Sachi Kotake has built up a firm following with her Japanese street food van in the carpark of Buzz Bingo in Pallion.

With her passion for cooking , the nurse turned chef, who is originally from near Kyoto, also took her Arigato van on the road, serving noodles, rice dishes, gyoza and more at festivals and events across the city.

Now, she’s brought a taste of the land of the rising sun to Frederick Street.

Tucked in the basement in one of the old townhouses, in a unit most recently occupied by Malaysian restaurant Jom Makan, Sachi has opened her first sit-in venture.

It’s early days for the new Arigato business, and Sachi says there’s work to be done to the interior, but she’s really enjoying the new challenge.

“This is my first restaurant and when I saw this unit, I saw its potential. Eventually, I want to build a central counter with stools around it, so people can watch me cooking,” she said.

“It’s not on a main street and down the steps so lots of people don’t know I’m here yet, but I’ve had positive feedback from people who’ve been.

“They say they like the prices and the taste, but that the room needs work, which I agree with. There’s a lot of challenges, but it really feels like I’m creating something here.”

Rather than sushi and ramen, which is commonly associated with Japanese cuisine, Sachi focuses on traditional street food dishes from the East Asian country.

Arigato seats 10 people, but the restaurant is also set up for take away.

On the menu, you’ll find options like steamed rice dishes with either deep-fried chicken, ginger pork or sweet sour pork, all priced £10.

You can also pick up options such as stir-fried yakisoba noodles, starting from £6 for a vegetables version, to £8 for chicken katsu.

Other options include curry udon soup noodles (vegan noodles available) with a variety of toppings, Japanese curry dishes, gyoza dumplings and a range of traditional sides and teas.

Sachi says lots of people know her food from her time at Buzz Bingo, when she would fly the Japanese flag to alert people she was open.

“More than half my customers at the bingo were return customers. I think it helps when opening a new business that some people already know my food,” she said. “I really want to keep the price as low as possible, it shouldn’t be expensive to eat out.”

*Arigato, Frederick Street, is open 11am to 8pm Wednesdays to Sundays.