A new restaurant and listening bar concept, Junsei, has opened in Sanur, introducing a dining format centred on Japanese yakitori and vinyl-led bar culture. Originally founded in London in 2021, the concept combines charcoal-grilled skewers, izakaya-style dishes, and a dedicated listening bar under one roof.
Located on Jalan Tamblingan, the venue arrives as Sanur continues to see new hospitality developments and dining concepts. Junsei positions itself within this evolving landscape through a more restrained approach to food and atmosphere, drawing inspiration from traditional Japanese izakayas where food, drinks, and conversation are designed to unfold gradually throughout the evening.
Yakitori Cooked Over Binchōtan Charcoal
At the centre of the menu is yakitori, prepared using traditional Japanese shichirin grills and binchōtan charcoal, known for its clean-burning heat and ability to highlight ingredient flavours. The skewers are made using different cuts of locally sourced organic chicken, alongside seasonal ingredients such as vegetables, tofu, pork belly, and quail egg.
According to Founder and Executive Chef Aman Lakhiani, the cooking process requires extensive training and consistency. “Charcoal is alive,” he said. “You have to understand it to work with it. You can’t treat it like something fixed.”
One of the restaurant’s signature dishes is the tsukune, a chicken meatball skewer glazed with a lightly sweet soy-based seasoning and served with soy-cured egg yolk for dipping. Other menu items include crab-filled chicken wings, crab croquettes with caviar, Balinese black pig katsu sandwich, and line-caught sashimi with citrus soy.
For larger dishes, the menu extends to rice bowls, smoked pork ramen, and claypot rice, while the omakase offering presents a chef-led selection of skewers and seasonal dishes featuring rarer cuts from the restaurant’s in-house butchery.
A Listening Bar Integrated Into the Dining Space
The venue also includes Tamba by Junsei, a tea room during the day that transitions into a vinyl-led listening bar in the evening. The space combines an open grill kitchen with curated music played through a dedicated sound system, shaping the pace and atmosphere of the restaurant throughout the night.
“Junsei is about how everything comes together: the food, the room, the music, the pace,” said Chef Aman. “Guests are welcomed with small bites and given time to settle in, creating a rhythm that encourages conversation and connection rather than urgency.”
Bringing a Different Dining Format to Sanur
Chef Aman, who grew up in an Indian-Indonesian household and later worked across Europe, the UK, and Japan, said the concept reflects a shift towards simplicity and restraint in cooking. “Less is more,” he said. “If you can bring out what’s needed from an ingredient without adding too much, that’s when it works best.”
With its combination of yakitori, listening bar culture, and slower-paced dining, Junsei adds another layer to Sanur’s growing food and beverage scene, introducing a concept shaped as much by atmosphere and rhythm as by the food itself.
Junsei Izakaya
Jl. Danau Tamblingan No.49, Sanur, Denpasar Selatan, Kota Denpasar, Bali 80228
