The future is here – quite literally – with the arrival of Future Future to the Melbourne cityspace. ‘Conceived as a Japanese restaurant filtered through Melbourne eyes’ the eatery it settled on Richmond’s Swan Street, and serves up fast, casual fare to the masses. Sitting centre at the restaurant’s ethos is the concept of omotenashi, offering the best service without the expectation of a reward.

The space has been taken care of by the architectural design team at Olaver Architecture, led by the concept of the contemporary and (of course) the futuristic. The existing Victorian era building in which the restaurant sits is home to a range of different sections within the eatery, decorated with a strong Wabi-Sabi influence when it comes to texture, geometry and colour.

A new take on traditional cuisine, the menu at Future Future has promised inventive interpretations of Japanese favourites. Individual and share plates will offer a genuine izakaya experience, albeit with a little more creativity than usual. But don’t be alarmed, the restaurant promises that emphasis will remain on simplicity and quality of ingredients; with the majority of produce sourced locally as well as from Japan. As an added bonus for diners, a cup of house blended iced tea (rotating monthly) and a pre-meal snack will be complimentary to all in house diners, all as a part of the promised omotenashi.

A rotating list of beer, wine, sake and whisky from the restaurant’s favourite producers in Australia and Japan feature alongside mains. The drinks options favour those with biodynamic, organic and minimal intervention production methods; ‘producers with a story’ as Future Future explains. Even the dinnerware follows the same mantra, with water cups and share plates made from biodegradable bamboo, a renewable material that is both sustainable and practical in equal supply.

Future Future is open from 5.00pm on Tuesday through Thursday, and from 12.00pm on Friday and Saturday. 191 Swan Street, Richmond; futurefuture.com.au.