TAKU Mayfair, which opened its doors in November 22, offers an impressive selection of sushi dishes.  The meal started with sea bream with white soya sauce, which was fine, followed by some very pleasant akami bluefin tuna from the east coast of Spain that had been aged for 10 days, served with ginger and garlic.  This was very good.  Char-grilled sea bass was served on beautifully vineyard sushi rice (from Spain) and decorated with trout roe.  When mixed altogether, this made a very well seasoned and enjoyable dish and was nicely done.

Next came a lobster claw adorned with a delightful egg yolk-based sauce, flavoured with vinegar and was another enjoyable dish.  Turbot was then offered within a broth with thin noodles and is something not usually seen within a sushi menu but had good depth of stock flavour and with perfectly cooked turbot within and noodles that were just right.

Then came the parade of sushi dishes, including Yellowtail tuna, cuttlefish, trout, more wild turbot, Otoro (fatty tuna), scallop (which was sublime) and mackerel served within seaweed.  All of these were served with very pleasant rice served at the perfect temperature together and were a complete pleasure.  The only one I found slightly lacking was the mackerel which did not appear to have as much of a deep and oily mackerel flavour as has been enjoyed at say, Endo at the Rotunda.  The pickled ginger that was served for cleansing the mouth in between courses was nicely done and it was good to have genuine wasabi for all courses which was sourced from the Wasabi Company in Hampshire.  A seafood soup was also offered for all as part of the menu.

For dessert, the lemon pie is a refreshing option with pleasant biscuit crumbs on the base, but the real standout was the strawberry ice cream made with strawberries from South France, matched with a gorgeous vanilla-based custard. The financier with miso and nut was a great combination with a slightly umami/salty taste as a different take on salted-caramel for example, and whilst matcha is genuinely not my favourite flavour, it is traditional and this piece had very good texture.

Overall, I was very pleased with TAKU Mayfair and was not a disappointment. The food is well-presented with good interaction from the staff and the atmosphere is sleek and modern.

Food Grade: 78%

The opening rice cracker with black ink was feather light; the dried tempura sauce made from fried rice, vinegar hint of spice; the prawn tempura beautifully succulent (fried, rested for 10 seconds and then refried for optimum texture), all served with a garlic and ginger sauce as well as peppercorn sauce.

Wagyu tartare from Kagoshima black cows right in the very south of Japan was a sumptuous start. This was very good A5 genuine Wagyu made with anchovy mayonnaise and yuzu mayonnaise and fresh, genuine wasabi from Japan as well.  Baby yuzu chicken was lightly marinated in yuzu black pepper, soy sauce and sake, served with grilled lime, pickled radish and yuzu mayonnaise.

But perhaps the abs0lute gold was the A4 genuine Kobe gyu served with garlic & ginger sauce and Himalayan salt; simple, brilliant produce such as this does not need anything else and took me right back to Kobe.  This was followed by the less prestigious but very tender and beautiful Kagoshima beef.  Both these were utterly delightful and you know you are in good food company when you are savouring every mouthful with as many chews as possible to prolong the experience for as long as possible. The accompanying sake was also a pleasure and the Bottle of Asahi ‘Dassai 23’ Junmai Daiginjo 300 ml at £90 was frankly worth pushing the boat out for.

I would recommend here for a reliable and friendly Japanese experience in the heart of London, but I would also put a reminder in your calendar to save up a little prior to visiting so you can enjoy properly.

Food Grade: 74%

The meal is split between the levels of the refurbished venue which is a first for me and a very nice way of doing things I thought.  It is also a clever move to regulate table turnover and courses for each sitting and table as well as being good variation for the diner (new setting, leg stretch and interest levels etc).  The canapés are served in the ground floor open kitchen area where there is also a presentation of all of the ingredients sourced and used and each table is invited to the counter in turn to have an in depth explanation of each one and where it comes from.  There is significant care and attention in this operation and was lovely to have laid on at the start of this meal.  The mains and savouries including pre-desserts are served on the first floor dining room and the coffees and petit fours are served in the second (or top) floor of the venue that resembled a lovely lounge area laden with fine whiskeys and liqueurs.
Canapés in The Kitchen
Initial canapés included a Choux de Bourgogne – gougere with three cheeses (perfect light outer coating and pleasant cheeses); ‘Ráraka’ Kalix Löjrom which was a potato rosti with crème fraiche, brandaide pickled shallots, chive and vendence roe from Sweden – this was absolutely stunning and with the lightest of crunches.  Croustade crustacean, fennel & artichoke was a delectably light croustade with artichoke purée, lobster, fennel, tarragon leaves and bronze fennel.  This was stunning with warm lobster in the thinnest pastry case ever had and a lovely, complemented by a perfectly gentle kick of wasabi – a knock out and world class canapé.
Truffle scrambled egg, yuba was scrambled egg with maple syrup and butter with truffle from Australia winter truffles, held within a soy bean ‘skin’ or, extremely thin tartlet like case.  This was very light and with deep flavour coming through.  The final canapé was Gunkan foie gras, unagi, sakura – brioche with goose foie gras, apple balls marinated in hibiscus, unagi with sweet wine and oxalis flowers.   great combo
Mains in The Dining Room
When invited upstairs to the dining room, I was escorted to my table overlooking a charming terrace garden.  First to be served was crudo (raw fish dish): Saba, radish oroshi, fermented strawberry & coffee – chutoro from Crudo tuna served with Saba (a form of grape), radish oroshi, fermented strawberry & coffee with chutoro (fattiest kind of tuna from the belly) tartare.  This was simply gorgeous and a brilliant combination of fat and sweetness.
Chawanmushi, engawa , coriander, white asparagus was next.  This was essentially an egg-based custard, engawa (skat of flounder) coriander, white asparagus broth, gin, lemon juice and coriander and citrus leaf oil – a complex combination but with very pleasant umami.  Hirame (flounder from north Japan) came with teardrop peas, wasabi & ginger yoghurt, whey dashi, Thai basil oil and Thai basil flowers.  This for me was absolutely outstanding and the dish of the meal. It was fragrant, aromatic, light and in beautiful harmony with the earthy peas combining with the gentle wasabi and Thai basil.
Onion, toasted almonds & liquorice powder and cream, almond foam made with milk from Haikado (very fatty milk from finest cows on the planet) was next and this came dangerously close to being as good as the previous dish.  Two absolute knock out sensations one after the other is rare and I was forgiving the bill more and more with each mouthful.  Next up was flatfish from Kinki (region in Honshu, the southern island of Japan) was served with an all-time favourite sauce of mine – vin Jaune (creamed sauce made with dessert wine), walnut and Zén Réserve caviar.  This had different levels of salt, and fat in each bite and the combination of textures here was interesting.
A selection box of beautiful knives from Morakniv were displayed and I was given the choice of which one to use for my game.  Guinea fowl, mitsuba (parsley) & mustard emulsion, sudachi kosho (fermented paste of Sudachi type of citrus) was served next.  The guinea fowl was decorated with an emulsion of Japanese parsley and mustard spray of Sakura flowers in vinegar with chanterelles which was a magical combination of everything.  Utterly succulent game with a gentle kick of mustard, again judged to perfection served with Hokkaido asparagus for textural crunch.  Colour, texture, protein, fat and low carbohydrate – it was close to a perfect dish as any.  French toast “Grande Tradition 2008” with Balsamic vinegar, parmesan custard, Manjima West Oz truffles was next in the form of a ‘bite’ and this was absolutely superb.
Finally, a pre-dessert of sorbet made of yuzu, konatsu (citrus fruit), Buntan (family of grapefruit) & saffron, kokuto (Okinawa black sugar) aspic (jelly) and Kinome plant leaves.  This was an incredibly smooth sorbet but quite bitter and had wood-like notes which sadly didn’t work hugely for me as a combination as pretty as it was. Momo (Japanese peaches), from Yamanashi near mainland are the highest grade of peach (Daitaro) which came with pêche, elderflower, peach sorbet, star anise cream, 3 peppers, arctic raspberry, rhubarb root oil and crystallised roses meringue sticks seasoned with three types of pepper (roast, long and black – all from different parts of world in Asia and Africa). These were extraordinary peaches in an extraordinary consommé and the beauty and power of this simple offering was worth the long process of being at that table for that offering.
Coffee and petit fours in the Living Room
The final part was served on the upper most level where the first to be served was Muskmelon & Manzanilla sherry gel, Miyazaki mango with coconut rum and vanilla, Shine muscat grape from Japan and grapes infused in verjus, rose, seasoned with house gin and honey vinegar.  Again, one cannot fault the power of these ingredients and as is customary at the end of a Japanese meal, the finest fruit is seen as a delicacy and privilege.  Coffee was from a Singaporean company called Papa Palheta and served with with Hokaido milk.  Along with this came a ‘Waffle party’: Swedish waffles from woodruff cloudberry jam, tonka and almond cream, sea buckthorn and brunost caramelised brown goats cheese (akin to Norwegian Gjetost which I had much of growing up).  The final Western petit fours were Sicilian pistachio macaron, blood miso and matcha with fleur de sel (French salt flake) – all of which were as well made as they can with the simple pistachio actually being the favourite.
If that was hard to read for the detail, spare a thought for how much goes in to that meal and one can understand more regarding the experience and the usual question I receive which is, “Was it worth it?”.  Emphatically yes is my answer to this experience and I would happily save up and go again.  A genuine 3 Michelin starred experience and somewhere you are going to get sheer quality.
Food Grade: 96%

First off, the journey.  If you are flying from London, the very best way to get to Schloss Berg is from London City Airport, a very small and under-utilised airport in East London, easily accessible by the Docklands Light Railway (DLR).  A direct flight to Luxembourg is the answer at 50 mins, followed by a 30 min taxi or hour+ bus journey to the border of Luxembourg and Germany where, literally 1 mile over that border in Germany is this restaurant, contained within the same grounds of a hotel (separate buildings and businesses).  As all public transport in Luxembourg is free (yes, genuinely) and time was not an issue, the public transport option was taken advantage of (requires one change) and then in to a taxi from the border for the last mile into Germany. If you are immediately turned off by the sound of the journey, for perspective, it was actually quicker getting to this venue in Germany from the UK than it is driving from London to Bristol.

Victor’s Fine Dining itself is names after the backers and owners of the group who spotted Christian Bau’s talent a long time ago. The fine dining concept works very well for Christian as his level of cooking attracts people from many countries across the globe and therefore required a place for people to stay nearby which the hotel complex (Schloss Berg) does perfectly adequately.  I forgot that in many German hotels, guests checking in are served a glass of something as a welcome and is such a simple and lovely touch that costs the hotel hardly anything but has a huge impact on the guest to have whilst waiting for check in – it always makes me wonder why so many hotels do not do this lovely, simple fix.

So, on to the evening meal which began with champagne and as Krug was sold by the glass (a lovely touch that many restaurants do not / cannot do).  The first canapes were a carrot soup with coriander and green apple and the other being a tartare of langoustine with a madras curry sorbet with yoghurt foam.  The carrot soup had pure and refreshing flavours, but the curry sorbet, foam and langoustine canapé was one of the greatest I have ever had as an opener. Immediately, one is hit by the surprising flavour of the sorbet being curried and offset perfectly by the yoghurt foam and the cold canapé itself working in utterly perfect harmony.

This was followed by a small pastry case of beef tartare with fish emulsion and smoked horseradish and caviar.  An absolutely brilliant level of smoke in the horseradish which produced a superb play with the Ox tartare canapé.  The accompanying canapé was Hamachi (yellow tail tuna) on rice wrapped around with kimbap (a South Korean version of nori seaweed) served with sesame and daikon (Japanese radish), the Hamachi being mild and buttery at the same time.  The quality of the kimpab alone being one of the great pleasures (this is crispy and fragrant excellence akin to nothing like your average and totally inadequate rubbery, cold, seaweed elastic band found in many a sushi chain in the UK for example).

Next came a tartlet of toro (fatty tuna belly), caviar and myogo (Japanese ginger) which was perfectly judged with the heat from the ginger, followed by a sublime lobster tartlet decorated with printemps (seasonal Springtime flowers/garnishes). Finally for the canapés was a Japanese pastry waffle topped with Saba (blue mackerel), caviar, and yuzu-koshu (a Japanese chilli paste with strong, floral, yuzu fruit notes).  The sweet citrus complimented and offset the oily fish superbly, joined by the salt from the caviar and textural crunch from the pastry.  These were just the canapés and already were easily better than a great many main courses at other 2 and 3 Michelin starred restaurants experienced.

Next came the fish courses.  Crab from Brittany was first, served with dashi-soaked melons (dashi is a Japanese stock very often using bonito / dried tuna flakes), Yuba (dried tofu skin) and shoyu, a form of wheat-based Japanese soy sauce.  You would think the above might be a little too much for the light white meat from the crab but this was absolutely not the case – the combination was just right and came together brilliantly.  Following this were oysters served in the half shell with red shiso pearls (iced droplets made with red shiso leaf), ponzu and sea herbs.  Whilst I wished to avoid the oysters, the technique and skill here as well as supporting ingredients were among the freshest one can have to compliment the fish-based components including the stock.

Next came what was to be a gastro life-moment: Spanish tuna (from Malaga), topped with a foie gras sorbet, thin pastry disc and frozen foie gras shavings, dressed with a ponzu and elderflower dressing.  I have to pause here as I write.  I have no idea where or how Christian Bau conceived the idea of the flavour combinations for this dish, but I think perhaps dark magic of some kind… You know, the instant something has been experienced when it is a world first, and this was immediate bliss of total flavour harmony with absolute technical genius in being able to make something so rich and heavy as foie gras, somehow to be so light and surprisingly wonderful in its sorbet state.  I believe Mr Bau should be in line for a medal of recognition for this dish alone and dishes of this calibre are rare to come by. This was a euphoric food moment to have had, accompanied by a glass of the powerhouse 2009 Egon Müller Reisling.  I need a break from writing to recess, just thinking of this part of the meal.

The following course was green asparagus from Province topped with sumak gel (made from Japanese berries) and served with a miso hollandaise sauce and yuzu.  The miso twist on hollandaise made for an umami bomb of wonderful, foamy hollandaise and the asparagus themselves were impressive in their own right.  This was the best asparagus dish I have ever had and I simply cannot think how it is possible to make a dish of asparagus better, period.  Another fish course followed with langoustine (sourced from Guilvinec in North West France), served with koji and caviar which was pleasant and delicately presented.

A wonderful piece of Brittany turbot (from a large 8kg turbot) came next, served with white asparagus, morel mushrooms, vin jaunt sauce (creamed made with dessert wine) and peas.  This was a return to something classic and as such an iconic dish, I was glad that there was no, notable fusion with Japanese ingredients in homage to the iconic dish it is. Succulent turbot was complimented superbly by the well-judged classic components.

A special knife selection was offered to choose from to devour the main event of meat which was Miyazaki beef, which is widely regarded as very best in wagyu, frequently voted better than Kobe beef or even Matsuzaka.  The Miyazaki prefecture is in the very south of Japan on the most southern of its four main islands (Kyushu) where the prized cattle are reared much longer than the average length of time for beef and served on diets that would make most humans in some parts of the world envious, hence the sheer quality of this meat. The dish was served with trevisiano (a form of red chicory), black garlic, truffle, tiny disc of foie gras and micro potato waffles.  Everything was frankly delicious and with that line up of ingredients, the dish was never going to be in danger of rejection, and thankfully was small in size as very rich in content. I can’t be sure if I would have been equally happy with literally just the slice of beef when the produce of a something of such value is that superb, but it was wonderful to have.

Continuing the richness and savoury trend, the next course was a celebration of goose liver.  Goose liver foie gras from Landes, was served in an amazing way by being served as frozen droplet spheres (essentially little foie gras ice cream balls), served with coffee, hazelnut from Piemonte and sour cherry and with a side of goose liver parfait sorbet and toasted brioche drum.  The foie gras was technically faultless, delicious and the supporting sorbet another wonder moment.  Although by this stage I was reaching maximum capacity in stomach real estate, this was another masterclass of goose liver and the brioche was another showcase, as was the very best brioche experienced anywhere.  Its utterly delicate texture beat several 3 Michelin starred restaurants in France for the execution and presentation of the brioche.

Finally, the desserts started with a genuine firework bang on the opening dessert: wild strawberries, in a strawberry and sake consommé, served with sorrel sorbet, goats yoghurt and pastry disc for texture. The depth of strawberry flavour was off the scale, boosted by the mixed sake consommé and balanced beautifully by the fresh, herbal sorrel sorbet and cooling goats yogurt.  An absolute knock out dessert.  Following this and in tribute to the executive chef’s homeland, a play on black forest gateaux was served with ingredients taken from none other than the famous Black Forest of Southwest Germany (state of Baden-Württemberg) including aerated chocolate, hazelnut ice cream, iced cherry droplets and cherry gel, topped with a pastry in the shape of the cherry blossom tree.  A this stage, heads were simply shaking at just how good this meal had been.

A final selection of superb petit fours were presented. There were too many to take note of sadly and by this stage I could only sample a few, but the ones that were enjoyed could frankly outdo dessert courses in quite a few restaurants of note.  The bill came to £492 per person including Krug champagne and glasses from two, premium Rieslings and all bottled water (which can add up at €11 each and knock on to service charge), tax and overall service charge for this ‘Paris to Tokyo’ menu carte blanche (additional dishes selected by the executive chef).  It’s worth noting that it is possible to have a menu here for €249 (£210) without various ingredients including asparagus and miso etc.  The latter would frankly be a steal, but either way, for the quality of ingredients and sheer brilliance of execution, both these represent extremely good value for money in my opinion when examining the return and noting how you could comfortably spend either price tags on menus at lower grade restaurants that boast their prices at far too high a level for actual offering.

This was one of the highest-level food experiences on record with moments of undeniable perfection. Although I have recommended to go once in your life, it is a place I could comfortably revisit numerous times, now that I know what stratospheric level the team are operating on and just how cherished the experience will be.

Food Grade: 99%

In 2020 the Michelin guide pronounced three 3 Michelin starred restaurants within Osaka (Hajime, Taian and Kashiwaya).  Koryu now slips into the 2 Michelin starred family of which, there are an impressive 15 restaurants of this category in Osaka alone.  This restaurant is run by head chef Shintaro Matsuo who was friendly but could not engage too much with diners owing to the language barrier.  What was a nice touch was his staff members running around the restaurant showing pictures of the fish and produce all were eating on an iPad and explaining where possible.

Before all diners received their appetisers, several large shrimps heads were placed on a grill to gently cook the brains.  Bonito with aubergine and roe sauce was our first bite (the same menu given to all diners at the same time) and this was a pleasurable snack.  Tofu with pinko nuts had a lovely paste with it all.   

The sashimi platter was beautifully presented and included yellowfin with egg yolk, herring, squid with plum sauce, beef noodle, snapper and shrimp and purified saltwater.  The squid was lovely with plum sauce but texturally was quite hard and not as massaged as it was in Mizai (bit hard in comparison) by a long shot.  The tuna with slow-cooked egg yolk, wasabi and soy was one of the rare stunning moments of this though.

The soup contained grouper and matsutake mushrooms (very chewy but with a strong mushroom aroma).  The grouper was juicy and fragrant.   Crab with vinegar jelly, shiitake mushroom and berries was wonderful – a light sweetness to the jelly with beautifully smoked mushroom and very well done.   

Kiki fish (from the gold family with huge eyes) and sea urchin was a disaster.  The skin which you are supposed to eat had the texture of hard cartilage, the fish itself and stock were only traceable and the butternut squash was hardly noticeable. Perhaps this is a Japanese delicacy but I could see another couple of diners shrug away from their serving and not say anything at this dish – really and truly this was not my thing at all and I struggle to see why this would be enjoyable eating for anyone.

Salmon roe with yuzu sorbet and chrysanthemum just didn’t really work very well for me. The slimy texture of the cold roe and cold of the sorbet dish seemed an entirely odd combination.  The shrimp brains that we were invited to suck out of the head were salty and had a reasonable aroma of crustacean.  Slow-cooked Miyazaki beef (from the fabled black wagyu) with fig and soy sauce was as lovely as one can expect.  Porridge and snapper and pickles and Japanese hot tea was regrettably not as memorable regrettably.

Pear flavoured with rum with honey foam, grape and chestnut paste was a lovely collection of fresh fruit to have and strangely the dish was enhanced by the chestnut paste owing to the fruit being not quite at the explosive levels that can be found at say, Kondo, Kitcho or Nanchome Kyoboshi.

So sadly this was not the experience I was hoping for, but the service was very hospitable.  As a diner, you only had to gain eye contact with any of the floor staff and they would practically run over for you in complete concern.  Something that is not really the norm in the UK for example.

A pleasant experience with some very good produce for an authentic Japanese meal, but not one of the best.

The ethos of the menu at Hajime follows a set, seasonal pattern.  As it was Autumn, my meal was broken down into the ‘Mori’ (from the forest),  the ‘Seimei’ (life), ‘Kawa’ (from the river), ‘Umi’ (from the sea), ‘Hakai to Douka’ (destruction and assimilation), ‘Kibou’ (hope) consisting of ‘dew’, ‘mother earth’ and ‘wildflower’ components, finishing off with ‘Ai’ (love) displayed in the red colours of the dessert.

Therefore the meal began with something from the forest and this appetiser was a show stopper right up front which essentially ‘soup within soup’.  A perfectly clear consommé of matsutake mushroom held what looked like a button mushroom head at the bottom.  Floral notes came out of the glass on sipping and after sipping this fragrant mushroom ‘tea’, I let the mushroom head plump into the mouth to reveal that this was actually a sphere of creamed mushroom soup, held together with a thin gelatine (perhaps aga-agar although I could not establish this for certain) – this film had just enough strength to hold it together, rather like an egg yolk and on closing the mouth it gently burst open to mix the creamed matsutake with its surrounding consomme.  The glass incidentally was decorated with alone, Autumnal leaf taken from treas that surrounded where the mushrooms had come from.  Very, very clever and genuinely perfect as a mushroom soup opener in powerhouse house simplicity. Rarely do you get such a superb opener of wonder at restaurants like this.    

The ‘Seimei’ (life) dish was brown spotted grouper with herring roe, eel and watercress in a very appetising doughnut were follow up snacks to be had before the meal which were very good as was the intensely delicate rice paper with hata (Japanese white fish), black olive shavings and herb oil.  The fish itself was unbelievably sweet and another lovely, new ingredient to try.  

Salmon from Naggan (north Japan) was the choice for the dish emanating from the river (Kawa) and came with salmon roe, hatcho miso (100% soya beans and no wheat or grain used creating a lovely richness), tomato and sorrel, miso (green blobs) and including a clever candy in shape of salmon on top.  This was very light and pleasing, although the salmon itself was fairly neutral in flavour surprisingly.  It was mainly exceedingly soft with beautiful decoration that worked quite well together as flavours and an impressive design of all elements of the dish looking like running water and waves.

Freshwater prawn was next, served against a hot stone on the plate with uncured ham, quail’s egg, mantis shrimp and the ‘Umi’ (from the sea) was suppon, an extravagant delicacy of Chinese softshell turtle inside a ravioli with mushroom sauce. Another expertly crafted dish but a little hard to know where to start. The real moments on the dish were the ravioli with suppon which had the strongest sense of umami I think I have ever had and the utter sweetness of the prawn.  Another, new life moment in food.  The dish also came with foie gras, Asian hazel, pumpkin, black pepper and thin layer of candy on top. Lovely biscuit but foie gras could have had a touch more seasoning as was a little too subtle. 

A very cleansing interlude of pine sorbet representing the ‘dew’ was served prior to the main event and this was another first – pine in sorbet – and this worked very well I thought.  The main course itself was Taoshita beef, served with offerings from from ‘mother earth’ such as squash, beetroot, parsnip, fresh cheese, olive oil, apricot, chrysanthemum, turnip and fig all on a matcha sauce.  Phhew, quite a few things to note on that one(!).  Homemade bread also came on the side in a break from the norma to help mop up the exquisite sauces and jus, but it was the matcha that was probably most surprising and lovely addition.  I was a little worried about this at the beginning as I suspected this would be a bridge too far, but it really gave a lovely tang to the beef and was a refreshing combination and lovely alternative way to having beef.  Relief and pleasure in one(!).  

Nitro cheese was then served in a way that made you breath out nitrogen vapour (as does when having virtually anything ‘cooked’ in liquid nitrogen) and this was served with crisp filo pastry, olive oil, biscuit sabre and chrysanthemum syrup from ‘wildflowers’ as a final and gorgeously sweet component.  This was an utterly outstanding dish of intense cheese flavour complimentary sweetness with cold and crisp for additional sensations.  

To finish, a ‘love’ (Ai) dessert of strawberries and raspberries, strawberry ice cream and sablé biscuit had a hot couli poured into the ice cream shell.  This was very well done and not too sweet at the same time however it was the petit fours that I thought took the crown for sweets in an unusual twist.  Among the offerings were candy floss, chestnut cherry, apple tart, popcorn panna cotta, (salted popcorn was genius on top), mascarpone tart, deconstructed chocolate macaron and an incredible apple sphere.  Although I have not had the fabled apple dessert at 2 Michelin starred Bord’Eau in Amsterdam, this was in some ways even more impressive as a miniature replica version (I do not know who designed it first).  This is one of the most impressively done sweets. let alone petit fours collections I have had full stop and this, combined with how light the sugar sphere was and the beautifully prepared apple was almost heart-stopping.

I hope this expands on why this restaurant gets such a high grade from me and anything less than 97% is unbefitting for the quality of this meal.

Mizai is located on the edge of the historic Maruyama Park, which is a beautifully preserved public park near the Yasaka Shrine in the Higashiyama District.  Aside from the iconic temples scattered all around, all with lanterns at night, the park holds distinct cherry blossom trees, one of which is a famed shidarezakura, a rare and tall, weeping cherry blossom that people queue to see in the Hanami (cherry blossom season in late April / early May) which I have been lucky enough to see at this time.  Incidentally, if you visit for this, you will not be alone as the visitor numbers can be insane at this period, with many Japanese families travelling to Kyoto (above the hoard of tourists) dressing up in full, traditional Kimono dress to have family photos with the iconic trees in the background.  But please trust me when I say this is an annual, spectacle of the earth and life tick to have if you can squeeze in.

Our taxi pulled up as close to the restaurant as it could, there at the top of an ancient stone staircase, a restaurant representative stood waiting to escort us to the restaurant from where we were dropped off.  With the walkway and trees lit up at night, this genuinely felt on a par with what entering Nania for the first time must be like as we made our way down the steps to what was still a mystery at this stage.

After our names were taken outside the venue at the front of the restaurant, we were invited to have a seat outside whilst the staff finished preparing the restaurant and given a welcome drink of lightly salted water and puffed rice – a simple and welcome combination, similar to that had at Kitcho, another 3 Michelin starred Kaiseki restaurant only that afternoon (a pretty marvellous day overall).  Once finished, we were invited to the main dining room which, in keeping with the setting of this restaurant is beautifully designed, with a deliberate view of a manicured garden in the background, displaying a simple plaque above the restaurant window, baring the name of Mizai in Kanji.

The main restaurant seats 14 at the main counter and a further 6 in the private dining area behind the main counter and towards the back of the restaurant (this enclosure has a window looking to the counter but is discreet enough for privacy as well).  Other lovely, minimalist enclaves of the restaurant had simple scrolls of Kanji, one loosely translating to “My heart is devoted to the Autumn” and another, outlining words to the effect of, “Magnificent chrysanthemum flowers of Autumn”.  Seasonal produce is obviously at the heart of this restaurant and the beautifully written scrolls not only decorating the restaurant simply and perfectly but also outlining the philosophy of the team behind it so appropriately.  These poetic scrolls change according to the season.

On to the meal and my apologies for not being able to expand as much as I would like to, but the staff only spoke so much English and there was an obvious air of being bad etiquette to strike up too much of a conversation over the food.  For the privilege it was and the fact that I and my dining companion were the only non-Japanese speakers at this service, we did not feel like holding up the show for the others asking too many questions – tactically placed questions, of course.  A miscellaneous point is that based on the body language of the staff alone, this was altogether a different service feel than at Jiro, had days before (a good thing).  Early on in the meal the head chef, Hitoshi Ishihara, looked at us in a frown as his watchful eye saw that we did not have any sake causing him to turn to one of his assistants and asked why this was the case.  I can answer this one – the main reason being that there are no prices on the wine list for any of the drinks.  As this almost felt like asking how much a diamond necklace in Graff is (if you have to ask, you don’t belong there), we were a little hesitant as the restaurant is cash only and did not want to risk having a bottle of sake costing another £400 – thankfully a reasonable option at around a tenth of this at £40 was available which we just found out through the friendly help of a Malaysian couple to our left, so this was opted for(!).

The meal began with ‘five shades of mushroom’ sliced and intertwined together to make a spaghetti-like ball of mushroom, held together by a paste of the mushrooms used.  A dashi with carrot and carrot side was also served with this dish and was a delightful start.  I took a photo of this opening dish and a gentleman diner next to me looked at me in horror and shook both hands to signal ‘don’t do it’.  A bit of a shame, but the police enforcement of no photos seemingly done more so by regulars than the actual staff.  This explains the lack of photos in this review.

Next up was the sashimi which included a sumptuous sea bream liver, delicately fried bream skin, yellowtail, otoro (full fat tuna) and squid, all served with gorgeous ponzu, saltwater and sesame sauces.  If this was not enough, the offering included vinegared, soy jelly cubes which were without a doubt the greatest play and version of soy sauce I have ever come across – genuinely a breathtaking version of soy sauce with the perfect play of sweet and salty at the same time and with magnificent texture to compliment the sashimi perfectly.  I don’t blame you for thinking “it’s just soy…” but you simply had to have this to appreciate.

Next came tail fish and tuna paste in a bowl of matsutake mushroom broth which had a perfume of mushroom leaping out through the steam from the bowl, hitting your nostrils prior to any leaning in.  The slices of yuzu in this also gave this a lovely punch of citrus to balance and this was superbly balanced.  Next came superb A4 wagyu beef with blobs of apple and miso on top as an absolute knock out combination (who thinks of this?!) and a green chilli salad made with a red wine, honey and vinegar dressing.   Words fail me at how stunning this dish was in every way – the quality of the beef, the combination of the original gel on top, the faint heat from the chilli as well as the crunch from the salad and the delightfully sweet and acidic overtones from the dressing – I’m almost welling up as I write this knowing, the scale of what I had here in this dish hitting home again.  As ever, my associate Mr Bainbridge concurred with this sea shift moment of a dish and we both wished time to simply slow down.

Eel in dashi (a broth of kelp and bonito flakes, fundamental to Japanese and Kyoto cuisine) was a salty and pleasing boiled follow up dish.  This was effectively a palette wash prior to the main event which was a simply stunning platter holding an assortment of sculpted and carved fried tempura and raw vegetables and fish in presentation.  Tempura Ayu, or sweetfish (a relative of the smelt family) from Nakaumi (south Japan) was served with chestnuts, yam, matsutake mushrooms, duck pieces and herring amongst the array served with an outrageously good mustard (for the duck) and salmon roe within a mini, ceramic, mollusc shell.  The platter was decorated with seasonal leaves that had been locally picked by the staff earlier that day and not only visually fit for Royalty, but it also held at least two powerhouse moments of flavour.   

This nakazara or main dish was followed by the boiled (nimono) dish of abalone, yuzu and turnip which was not the height of the meal, but well-matched at the same time, followed by horsehair crab and grilled barracuda in two separate and ornately designed ceramic bowls.  The quality of both the crab and the fish were simply at the top of the tree.  Finally, the traditional rice and pickles were served in a different way with the rice having slightly burnt rice on the top layer, above the fluffier and normal version, giving the rice a completely different texture and smokey quality – a brilliant touch.  The pickled vegetables displayed the five primary colours of Kaiseki cuisine – white (from the tofu), red (radish shavings), yellow (sweet potato), green (komatsuna – mustard spinach) and dark brown/black (seaweed with soy) – to finish the savoury dishes off, virtually in the same manner of an artist finishing on this poignant note.

Then came one of the nicest touches of the dining experience, perhaps of any dining experience.  The lights were dimmed and the matcha tea was prepared personally by the head chef, making each one in turn for each guest.  Before any of this, the head chef inspected each matcha pot and briefly examined all his diners and paired the matcha pots to each guest according to how he saw the best fit.  Each serving of matcha was made in keeping with the traditional tea ceremony of Kyoto, using a bamboo brush with quick, circular movements of the hand and a bow of a head at the end of making each in turn, in honour of the gods for the creation of the drink and the guest to whom it was being presented to.  Each one was carefully made, unrushed and served calmly and meaningfully by the head chef to all guests prior to the lights gently coming back on for the sweets and final part of the meal.  This was a magical part of the meal and done with a level of sincerity I have not encountered at any other restaurant in the world.

A chestnut pudding was then served prior to a showcase of fruit which was an impressive pyramid of carefully constructed fruit pieces, using no less than 49 different kinds of Japanese fruit.  These were held together with a fruit gel from the fruits used which included fig, grape, peach, melon, baby kiwi and a whole assortment of further, unpronounceable fruits.  On the side was a small cup of what looked like and had the consistency of custard but was, in fact, a delicious mango puree with its inherent sweetness somehow toned down.  This concluded the marathon of Kaiseki dishes which was mercifully paced at just under 3.5 hours, so no rush at all and wonderfully calm the whole way through.

It is hard to think of any negative thoughts to this meal, but if there is one, it is the fact that I and my trusted associate were nearing a bloated capacity towards the end.  In fact, one diner a couple of spaces down from me, could not even take any more just before the final dish and had to refuse the fruit mix – not an option for myself as this had to be tried, but I confess I did not finish this as I did not want to leave too uncomfortable.

This is the only reason this restaurant is not getting 99% or 100% as this was the only negative to the frankly superb levels the food had, beyond the utter charm of the occasion.  The produce was utterly fresh, the dishes innovative, the design visually stunning and the meal with spectacular flavour combinations throughout.  Sprinkle on top of this, the venue being set in one of the most enchanting locations imaginable and the sheer control of the staff and head chef generating a feeling of simply being in the hands of the best in the world, you have a recipe for a meal that transcends all others in terms of the whole dining experience.  As a result, the £420 price tag did not even cross the mind and there is actually an argument for me not wishing to return to this restaurant, in order to preserve it in its current state in my mind.

If you are lucky enough to get even close to a reservation at this restaurant and I were in your shoes, I would obviously cancel and rearrange flights in or out of the country as required to accommodate this opportunity.  If this is not on the cards however, I do hope you have been able to live this meal vicariously through myself and this review – it is genuinely a magical, one of a kind and a lifetime experience to have had.