REVIEW: ROKETSU
Dazzling New Autumnal 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 offers an unforgettable, 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.
It is currently celebrating Momijigari - the Japanese tradition of embracing autumn by admiring the vibrant colours of nature, turning from green to deep oranges and reds.
To mark the occasion, we are here to try its new autumnal tasting menu, full of beautiful colours and autumnal leaves.
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 our chef grill over binchō charcoal or straw fire, shape stunning sushi, and plate complex dishes almost too beautiful to eat.
The categories of the immense feast, include raw, grilled, sushi and tempura.
Our experience starts with Wild Mushroom Fine Clear Soup, filled with meaty mushrooms, a dreamy tofu mousse and truffle.
This is followed by squid noodles - beautiful salty curls of raw squid, served in a creamy egg yolk sauce and bottarga (fish roe).
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.
What follows, is the alternative custard of Vanessa Feltz’s dreams - the Cornish Crab Chawanmushi is a silky, smooth steamed egg custard, filled with meaty crab and mushroom in an umami-rich stock of chicken, clam and dashi.
We have one eyeball on our dishes and the other on chef, in front of us, working out what treat is coming next. It turns out, it’s a selection of exquisitely light and crispy miso tempura treats, from a giant, juicy prawn to mushroom.
The mains are the only course you need to choose from, and they recommend the Japanese Wagyu Shabu-Shabu - an additional £20 supplement.
It’s thrilling watching him transform this gloriously marbled A5 sirloin into thin slices of heaven, lightly cooked in a dashi broth.
My friend opts for the white fish of the day (a glorious mullet) which we watch him cook over the binchō charcoal, drinking in the delicious smells. He theatrically finishes it with a blow torch, for a wonderfully crunchy top, and tender, juicy meat.
Next comes a beautiful array of nigiri sushi, bursting with colour and flavours, along with red mullet Bo-Zushi, with shiitake and ginger rice. There is a beautiful miso to complete the meal, before our dessert.
The pumpkin pudding is the perfect, seasonal finish to the experience - not too sweet or heavy. It has a silky, custard texture, topped with a crème brûlée like, brown sugar syrup, and sits inside a crispy, wafer shell.
Our dishes are beautifully paired with wines, like the citrus Le Cabanon Viognier from their diverse wine list 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.
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. 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 gargantuan 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.
The Autumn Classic Kappo Tasting Menu (£150pp)
The Autumn Prime Kappo Tasting Menu (£200pp) includes additions such as Wagyu beef and a premium sushi selection
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