REVIEW: ROKETSU

AG
4 days ago
3 min read

Dazzling Kappo Dining Experience Brings Kyoto to London

We experience the serenity of Kyoto in the fizzy heart of London, at Marylebone’s endlessly applauded Roketsu.

Tucked behind Oxford Street, among the Farrow & Ball hues of New Quebec Street is this extraordinary slice of Japan, which recently relaunched with a new Kappo-style dining experience.

Kappo - meaning ‘to cut and to cook’ - is a multi-course meal built around the seasons, craftsmanship, and dialogue between diner and chef, so that each dish is an intimate and unique experience.

We are seated at its impressive, seven-meter counter made from a single slab of 300-year-old hinoki cypress, where we will soon be immersed in a soothing, yet theatrical dining experience, watching him grill over binchō charcoal or straw fire, shape stunning sushi, and plate complex dishes almost too beautiful to eat.

The ambitious concept sees the chefs crafting different dishes each day, inspired by the seasons, in categories including raw, grilled, sushi and tempura. They have launched two new menus, which we are here to try.

Our experience starts with Hamachi Yuzu, a creamy, citrus and umami symphony of flavours. The Japanese yellowtail artfully folds and curls in bright yunzi ponzu, with silky cauliflower purée topped with delicate flowers.

Next comes one of our stand-out dishes, their signature Miso Monaka - light wafers stuffed with 10 day miso marinated foie gras, with delicate apple, pickled radish and date paste, to create a wonderful combination of crunchy and silky textures with sweet, buttery and rich flavours.

They even make spinach look beautiful, for their sesame-seasoned Horenso Goma-ae, which is tender and nutty - excellent qualities in both food and people.

The Chef grills a brolly-sized Portobello mushroom, while shaving generous slices of truffle for one of their deceptively simple looking dishes, with incredible depth and balance of flavours, including an unctuous, sweet white wine sauce.

A selection of exquisitely light and crispy miso tempura treats arrive, from prawn to beetroot, asparagus and sweet potato.

Next comes a beautiful array of sushi, from nigiri to rolls, bursting with colour and flavours from chalk steam trout to scallop, prawn, akami and chutoro.

My partner and I drink in the delicious smell of our chilli miso-glazed lamb chops, as they are seared over the binchō charcoal.

The Chef cuts them apart like silk, to reveal Turkish Delight pink meat and wonderfully caramelised fat. They are a dream, bursting with smoky and spicy meatiness, and served with pickled vegetables and creamy, chilli miso sauce.

Our dishes are beautifully paired with wines, like the citrus Le Cabanon Viognier, or the Armand Heitz Pinot Noir for the lamb, from their diverse wine list composed of more than 500 global wines.

There is also an impressive sake selection, with all 47 official classic Japanese sake brands, from Hokkaido in the north of Japan and Okinawa in the south.

I finish with a trio of delicious miso, wasabi and yuzu truffles, while my partner sinks his fork into a cloud-soft, Matcha Basque Cheesecake.

It’s easy to understand why Roketsu has cemented its place as one of London’s most sought after Japanese destinations.

It opened in 2022 with a two-month waiting list, bringing kaiseki dining to the capital for the first time, under the helm of Chef and owner, Daisuke Hayashi, who learned his craft at Kikunoi, a three-Michelin-star restaurant in Kyoto.

Every detail has been carefully considered, to authentically bring Kyoto to all five senses, including the interior, by Kyoto’s master builder Sotoji Nakamura, known for his work rooted in the sukiya tradition of Japanese architecture.

Natural materials such as hinoki, chestnut and cedar have been handcrafted in Kyoto and brought to this cosy womb of dining. It even has a fancy Japanese loo, with every need catered for at the push of a button.

We feel calm, rested, pampered and wonderfully sated without the uncomfortable bloating that a Western meal of this size would produce.

It’s the sort of dining you don’t want to end, and the Kyoto tranquility they have mastered in that magical bosom is all the more apparent, when we finally step back into the kaleidoscopic chaos of London.

Roketsu, 12 New Quebec St, London W1H 7RW. Roketsu Classic Winter Kappo: £150/person. Roketsu Prime Winter Kappo: £200/person. Wine and sake pairings are available for an additional £70, £145 or £200 depending on preference, or non-alcoholic pairing for £65