I’ll go out on a limb and say that when Fred’s, the restaurant inside the former downtown location of Barney’s, closed back in 2020, no serious food lovers had any particularly strong feelings about it. The restaurant, while serviceable, was more of a see-and-be-seen spot for high-end shoppers than a culinary destination. However, the high point was the amazing space — it was bright and airy with great views. Now, it’s about to be home to Arla (15 E. Oak St., Gold Coast), a Japanese and Mediterranean restaurant from one of the city’s hottest restaurant groups.

The group behind Adalina Italian and Adalina Prime, Hospitality Included, obviously knows how to handle an impressive room. Soo Ahn, who runs the culinary programs at all three restaurants, laughed when discussing the group’s desire to take over this particular restaurant. “My partners get pretty gung ho and will do whatever it takes to get a space,” Ahn says. “It’s been years in the making.”

They gutted the space to make room for Arla, but don’t worry — those views are still there. “It’s not constricted by a lot of taller buildings nearby, you can see the lake and everything going on Oak Street and Rush Street,” Ahn explains. “The night light that hits the dining room is amazing.” Arla’s focus on Japanese and Mediterranean flavors is inspired by travels taken by Ahn and his business partners. “We came across another restaurant doing Japanese and Mediterranean, and in our heads we thought ‘there is no way this is going to work,’ but it did — we’d never tasted anything like it.” That spark of inspiration led Ahn to design the menu for Arla.

But don’t call it fusion (it’s not 2006, after all). “When a guest tastes a dish, I don’t want them to think ‘this part is Japanese and this part is Mediterranean,’” Ahn says. “I don’t want them to see that divide.” The entire menu is designed for sharing, and the goal is to take dishes that diners are familiar with and enhance them with new techniques and ingredients. For instance, the menu features two types of hummus, one classic, one Japanese-inspired. The sushi uses harissa or Calabrian chile instead of sriracha, and a salmon roll is served with tzatziki. Of that latter dish, Ahn says, “I didn’t know if it was going to work, but it’s like a Philadelphia roll went to college.” The whole kitchen staff gets together every morning to make as many shawarma dumplings as possible — the dish has been a huge hit during previews. Roasted cauliflower with black lime dust and harissa pickled shallots keeps vegetarians happy, while for those who want to share large proteins, there’s a whole branzino and a 32-ounce lamb chop.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a restaurant from the creators of Adalina without a little bit of spectacle. One dessert, portokalopita (a take on a traditional Greek orange cake), is topped with meringue, and instead of torching it in the kitchen, the chefs bring out a live binchotan hot coal and do the charring at the table. “It’s very fun; dangerous, but fun,” laughs Ahn. “Don’t worry, we practice it a lot.”

Arla opens on June 18 for dinner. Expect lunch and brunch in the future.