Asian & Latin flavours collide at this new Kelowna spot

In a delightful twist to the city's dining scene, Humo Izakaya has emerged as a unique culinary destination, blending the vibrant flavors of Asia and Latin America.

The restaurant is the brainchild of culinary enthusiasts and friends, Alexandra Perras and Kai Koroll, who set out to create an experience where Asian and Latin cuisines converge.

But as Perras told Kelowana10, the idea to bring this to reality was a bit “off the cuff,” since they took over and started renovating in the winter.

“We came in here with a couple of sledgehammers and just destroyed absolutely everything. We didn't necessarily have a design plan or anything like that,” she said. “We were just going through the motions of what we're going to do next. This is the kind of space that we want to offer, and every day we threw something new into the mix.”

The entire interior underwent a significant transformation, with the hopes to achieve a modern look.

Perras mentioned they drew inspiration from the vibrant dining culture of Mexico City, incorporating a delightful fusion of contemporary and traditional aesthetics, along with a seamless integration of indoor and outdoor spaces.

Korrol serves as the Executive Chef. Growing up in Vancouver, he focused on Japanese cuisine while having a love for Mexican food. So when the opportunity to bring the two together arose, it was a no brainer.

“There's a lot of similarities with [the] flavours and it just seemed like a good idea. [It’s] something that hasn't been done in Kelowna or in a lot of places,” he said. “When it came down to a concept, it didn't really make sense to try and open another fine dining restaurant focused on local product and wine, because those are ubiquitous in Kelowna... we wanted to do something a bit different.”

Besides the unique tastes, another selling point for pair was the lakeside views on Lawrence Avenue.

“We weren't really planning on opening a restaurant in Kelowna right away,” Perras said. “But when we saw this location…it was kind of a no brainer for us.”

Part of their focus was to put a strong emphasis on communal dining, offering a variety of share plates, small plates, and larger plates. Although this unique dining experience was temporarily suspended during the pandemic, their goal was to revive the pleasure of sharing and fostering connections among diners.

“It's how we would do it if we were having a dinner party at our house. And we really want people to feel like they're coming into our home and we're putting this on for them because it is what it is,” Perras explained. “Now that we're coming back into a space of normalcy, we wanted to reintroduce the aspect of coming together and creating purposeful dining and intentional eating and sharing.”