Last week I was busy spending time dining charitably with sporting heroes. It began by sending Shawsey off on his ‘Legends of Telemark’ mission (he raises funds for MND) with a lunch where beautiful beef wellingtons reigned.
It took place in the company of former Scottish international, Ryan Wilson at the Black Lamb in Wimbledon Village. Mike Francis and Peter Alderson’s annual lunch at Otto’s supported the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation, where we feasted with Willie Carson and Sam Torrance on superb souffles and suckling pig. Last up was the DEBRA lunch at M Threadneedle Street with Peter Reid, kindly hosted by Beaumont hotel boss Stuart Proctor and Mike Tindall.
When I wasn’t eating for charity, I was dining at some of the best Japanese restaurants London has to offer. When it comes to Japanese in the capital, Roketsu, Kioku by Endo and Dinings SW3 are my benchmark go to destinations, yet March has seen me embark upon a Tokyo fix. Here are my recommendations, some Michelin in aspiration, others casually sublime.
Juno
A hidden restaurant housed in Los Mochis Notting Hill, this is the capital’s smallest Omakase. It’s a speakeasy-style sushi counter which, depending on your travel experience, evokes memories of either Tokyo or Tulum (as is the unique Los Mochis brand DNA).
Designed for six diners only, we celebrated the restaurant’s first birthday. Executive chef Leonard Tanyag expertly guided us through his 15-course Mexican-Japanese Omakase menu, sharing the inspirations behind each dish, all of which were generously matched with wine pairings curated by sommelier Spiros Athanasiou.
My wife went for a flight of beautiful Burgundies whilst I bravely opted for sake; both options successfully enhanced both food wines. Dishes included plates of king crab with lava salt and ponzu, snapper ceviche with lime aioli and blow-torched A5 Wagyu.
The size of the dining room dictates that you have to be prepared to engage with the other diners (at least initially), but you can still enjoy an intimate and unique experience, as one also can at Luna, Juno’s sister restaurant in the City, which opened last week.
Cate Blanchett’s sake moment
It is easy to dismiss celebrity endorsed products as over-priced fluff. However, both Katherine Jenkins’ Cygnet and Alex and Emma Watsons’ Renais gins have broken that mould with ultra-premium, sustainable offerings. Now Cate Blanchett has joined the A-list cocktail party with her Toku Junmai Daiginjo Sake. The highest grade you can enjoy, this elixir is a balanced, vinous expression, beautiful to drink at home (Hedonism, £155) and can also be found at Michelin starred Angler and Trivet, amongst other London restaurants (£350).
A dish at Juno, one of the best Japanese restaurants in London
Meyha
A magical dining room in Marylebone where the lighting transports you to the Kawazu river and it feels like you are dining in the shade of a cherry tree. Dinner in the company of Ross Butler, the finest restaurateur I have worked with, was a festival of nigiri (ten pieces, from langoustine to yellow fin, all complimented by additional small plates); caviar custard with muscles and trout roe; and a beetroot sorbet with pomegranate ceviche. A bottle of Château Galoupet Cru Classé Côtes de Provence (£130) was supped as the sounds of London Grammar and Stranger Things played in the background (more posh restaurants should have music aiding the ambience). A delightful experience, I highly recommend a visit.
Kibou
The best value Japanese restaurant in London, this Battersea bolthole is on Northcote Road SW4, a road where I began my hospitality career back in the year 2000 at Wok Wok (coincidentally another upmarket South East Asian restaurant), which now sadly houses Ole & Steen; possibly the worst value eatery in the capital.
A brisk five minute walk from Clapham Junction, Kibou is perfect for a date, a family meal and corporate entertaining alike. Hospitality and décor are fantastic, but the brand is exceptional thanks to its investment in its back of house, where sushi chefs are respected in parity with head chefs and ingredients are all premium. Sublime sushi and sashimi is standard, starters are elite, bao and ramen faultless. Dining with ‘metro- mayor’ Craig Donaldson as we discussed his Switch the Play foundation prize draw, we indulged on pumpkin korokke, dynamite prawns and duck sushi tacos, all washed down with a bottle of excellent value Taittinger Prelude, Grand Cru (£90).
• You can support Shawsey’s challenge here, DEBRA here and buy prize draw tickets here