A new Japanese restaurant called Co-Oishi is currently under construction in the Hollywood and Highland complex. Spacecraft is handling the design in a 5,600-square-foot space that will include a 30-foot sushi bar, hibachi grills, and tables outfitted for shabu shabu. The restaurant comes from the former deputy permanent secretary of the Thai Ministry of Commerce, Chachaval “Charlie” Sukitjavanich, the Florida-based owner of Oishi Sushi and Thai Thana in Tampa Bay, along with Nat Sukitjavanich, both of whom veered away from importing their Thai cuisine, perhaps due to the proximity of Thai Town. These two relatives initially hoped to call the restaurant Oishi, before realizing the name is already taken in L.A., causing them to co-opt the name Co-Oishi. An opening is projected in the fall.
