Comings & Goings: Kawa Ni to Bridge Square

Kawa Ni, described by co-owner Massimo Tullio as a Japanese bistro, has opened at Westport’s Bridge Square in the Saugatuck area. Tullio, who with Bill Taibe owns the popular Westport eateries The Whelk, 575 Riverside Ave., and Le Barn, 256 Post Road East, said the Japanese bistro concept is designed after Japan’s traditional pub-style Izakaya with the exception that the portions at Kawa Ni are slightly larger.  “Some people view this as Japanese tapas,” he said. “We feature a range of Japanese cuisine favorites including Men (noodles), Onigiri (rice cakes) and Donburi (rice bowls). “For many it’s often a pre-dinner culinary treat so we avoid heavy soy sauce which is filling, instead we serve pickled cabbage that has salt levels well below soy sauce which is often bloating.”  (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com