Recently opened and helmed by a powerhouse trio – Culinary Director and third-generation sushi master Chef Endo Kazutoshi, Executive Chef Chris Golding, and Head Sushi Chef David Bury – NIJŪ Mayfair has reimaged and reinterpreted traditional, authentic home-cooked Japanese food into a curated menu of “Katei Ryōri” style dishes to offer guests a luxury gourmet experience .
In Japan, Katei Ryōri refers to the comforting, soul-nourishing dishes found in family kitchens, deeply rooted in tradition and simplicity. It is the food that evokes the warmth of the home, the meals lovingly prepared by parents and grandparents using locally sourced ingredients with an emphasis on seasonality. At NIJŪ, Chef Endo and his team have elevated this concept, transforming these familiar, comforting dishes into something sophisticated, refined, and entirely unique, offering a taste of authentic Japanese home-cooking within an upscale dining experience. Golding, renowned for his skill in both Japanese and British cuisine, brings a depth of knowledge to the Katei Ryōri concept, merging time-honoured Japanese techniques with modern, European influences. Head Sushi Chef Bury complements the team with his precision and eye for detail, ensuring that each piece of sashimi and nigiri reflects the best of the season.
Selection of sashimi by Chef David Bury at NIJŪ.
NIJŪ’s menu is split into three main categories: Nigiri and Sashimi, Katei Ryōri and the Konro Grill; and we were lucky to sample them all. To start, alongside a glass of Brut, Billecart-Salmon, Mareuil-sur-Aÿ, France NV, we had a wonderful selection of tomato tartare, shiso and sorbet, grilled aubergine with white sesame dressing and grilled Orkney scallop with Japanese saffron and Chita whisky, and wagyu beef tartare with tama miso, pickled wasabi and shokupan. All divine. Next up, a selection of sushi, as no visit to a Japanese restaurant is complete without one.
For main course our host suggested one of the signature dishes on NIJŪ’s Katei Ryōri menu, the half cobb farm chicken katsu with shredded cabbage and tonkatsu. My other favourites were the Mentaiko pasta with parmesan and shiso, which is a delightful Japanese pasta dish with spicy cod roe and butter sauce’ and a roasted turbot with furikake, a crunchy, salty, and slightly nutty and earthy seaweed sprinkle, winter squash and miso butter. We were then in for a real treat with the chef selection of Japanese wagyu beef from the Konro Grill. Japanese A4 Wagyu fillet and A4 Wagyu sirloi, and a kobe sirloin, served with fresh wasabi, onion ponzu, shiso salt, and yuzu salsa verde. Our host recommended two wine pairings to compliment flavours, Muscadet de Sevre et Maine sur Lie, Domaine Les Haut Pemions, Loire, France 2023 – which I particularly enjoyed – and a smooth Barbera d’Asti, Roberto Sarotto, Piedmont, Italy 2020.
From the left: Orkney scallop with Japanese saffron and Chita whisky, roasted turbot with furikake, and Mentaiko pasta with parmesan and shiso.
From the left: Orkney scallop with Japanese saffron and Chita whisky, roasted turbot with furikake, and Mentaiko pasta with parmesan and shiso.
For something sweet, NIJŪ presents a number of indulgent, Japanese-style desserts. We chose two; both wonderfully light and refreshing. A matcha and white chocolate fondant, with cranberry, vanilla tuille and milk-ice cream and my favourite, a plum and umeshu sake tart with smoked pecans and candied ginger ice-cream.
We had the pleasure of private dining in one of the sumptuous rooms downstairs. There are beautiful pockets of space that lend themselves perfectly to an array of special private or corporate events and coupled with the genuinely attentive service it was intimate and yet a space you can feel at home in at the same time. The interiors are warm and inviting with a clever use of earthy tones, yet elegant and with little nods to Japanese décor, as one would expect.
Private dining room at NIJŪ Mayfair.
The innovative styled menu, all made with the finest ingredients, makes for an unparalleled Japanese dining experience that speaks to both nostalgia and modern gastronomy. The authentic soulful, menu is all about bringing people together and sharing and has taken Japanese cuisine to a truly different gastronomic level in London, Subarashī!
NIJŪ Mayfair
20 Berkeley Street, London W1J 8EE
Tel. +44 20 3327 3691
reservations@nijulondon.com
Author: Linda Hunting
Images © Carla Barber
If you like Asian food, you may like to read about the top Nikkei cuisine at Piraña London and about Gouqi, for a Chinese fine dining experience.
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