Kioku by Endo at The OWO
If you love sushi, like we do at Plush Life, then you might have already heard about the renowned Japanese chef Endo Kazutoshi.
Endo is a third-generation sushi master, following in the footsteps of both his grandfather and father. His grandfather opened a sushi restaurant in the 1940s, and Endo spent much of his childhood there or at local fish markets. These memories, as well as his travels throughout Japan and Spain, have influenced Kioku at Raffles at The OWO in London (Kioku means memory in Japanese).
We decided that our cold January needed some Japanese escapism, so we booked seats at the chef’s table ready to be transported.
This is a culinary experience like no other. The menu – well, actually, there isn’t a menu, because this is omakase style dining. Omakase translates as ‘I leave the details up to you’, and the choice is made by the chef.
We were served 10 imaginative courses that are prepared in front of us, at the beautiful wooden table just off the main kitchen. Dishes combine the deep respect for Endo’s Japanese heritage with the Mediterranean influences of his time in Spain. This is more than just a fancy dinner out, this is a performance and a lesson in Japanese technique and tradition.
The evening starts off at the Kioku bar on the ground floor of The OWO hotel.
We’d recommend a peek inside The Sake Safe at the entrance, which holds the largest sake collection in Europe.
A welcome cocktail is served at the bar, along with a specially brewed green tea, before you’re led up to the top floor with your fellow chef’s table diners.
The canapés were delicately constructed in front of us whilst we perused the drinks, wine and sake menus, with a sake sommelier on hand to guide us. Beef wagyu tartare is charred with coal and placed on a crisp pastry case, giving it a wonderful smokey flavour.
We were introduced to the chefs who will be orchestrating this evening of Japanese theatre, starting with a demonstration of the perfect sticky rice that is served throughout the evening.
First was smoked yellowtail from New Zealand. Aged for seven days, to make the flesh softer and to intensify the flavours and the natural oils of the fish. It’s smoked for 10 minutes over hay, gently charred with a hot coal, thinly sliced by the sushi chef and then beautifully placed on the plate along with ponzu, delicate apple flowers and topped with caviar.
One of our favourite aspects of the evening was the nigiri molded by hand, placed in your hand and eaten fish side down so that the flavour of the fish hits your tongue first. The first selection of Nigiri consisted of Akami (a lean, reddish flesh from along the spine of the tuna), Ōtoro (the fatty cut of tuna, from the belly) that simply melts in your mouth and Masu (chalkstream trout) that was smokey and simply delicious.
Next was a nod to the Mediterranean with perfectly formed petite ravioli, filled with a rich teriyaki pork that sat in a rich and umami tonkotsu broth.
The second course of nigiri included Tai (a red seabream) which was seared along the edge where the skin was removed, using the hot coal. Hamachi (yellowtail, a high fat fish, packed with flavour) and Chūtoro (a cut of bluefin tuna that is medium in fat content, known for its rich flavour and tender texture).
They are molded by hand again with the chef adding a little pinch of the freshly ground wasabi to one, and a squeeze of yuzu to another. Each one packed a flavoursome punch.
The fish course was Sea Bass Kazusuke (marinated for several days in a kasu marinade and then grilled), served with cime di rapa (a green leafy vegetable, prized in Italy for its sweet and slightly bitter taste), yuzu kosho (a Japanese fermented paste made from chillies, yuzu peel and salt) and sake sabayon sauce.
The star of the evening was the beef wagyu, the most tender filet of beef I’ve ever eaten, served with a mitsuba emulsion, creamy potato puree and smoked miso and tofu purée.
To finish off the savoury dishes, a large maki was made using a selection of the fish that we had sampled throughout the evening, topped with large juicy salmon roe. For the final act, a traditional ice shaver is brought to the table and the pastry chef is introduced.
Kakigori is a Japanese shaved ice dessert and the perfect palate cleanser. A large block of frozen sorbet is placed in the contraption and is shaved on top of beautiful bowls of blood orange and toasted italian meringue.
The pudding was a cherry souffle made from soybeans, with no sugar used and the only sweetness coming from the natural fermented bean. With a sweet white chocolate layer on top, the chef makes an opening and scoops a quenelle of sharp sorbet inside the warm pudding to create a wonderful flavour pairing.
At this point, full and in a lovely happy state we enjoyed a peppermint tea along with an encore of petit fours, chatting with our fellow diners all in agreement that we must visit Endo’s other restaurants and experience this Japanese performance again.
The Plush Life Verdict: Kazutoshi is a master craftsman of contemporary sushi dishes at the very top of his game. If you want to change your perception of Japanese cuisine, let his omakase show you what an art form it can be.
The details: Chef’s Table Menu £199pp, The OWO, 6th Floor, 2 Whitehall Place, The OWO, London,SW1A 2BD kiokubyendo.comrestaurant.reservations@kiokubyendo.com
