Les Amis Group to end ties with long-term partner Aoki restaurant after 20 years

JAPANESE food fans who swear by Aoki restaurant’s S$50 mazechirashi set lunch will have about six months left to enjoy one of the best deals in town, when the restaurant closes its doors permanently on Dec 31 this year.

The closure marks an end to the 20-year partnership that chef-owner Kunio Aoki has had with the Les Amis Group, which made the restaurant a familiar fixture at its Shaw Centre street-level location.

The group issued a statement on Thursday (June 29) to announce the split as an amicable decision between both parties. It’s not a reflection of the restaurant’s business as it has been “performing reasonably well financially”, says Tycen Bundgaard, CEO of Les Amis Group. He adds that post-Covid, and even in the current saturated Japanese dining market, “Aoki has fared better than most because of the strong and consistent following it has developed over the years”.