One of Tokyo's most prestiguous restaurants has arrived in London - Aragawa London takes up a spot on prestigious Clarges Street, bringing its famous Kobe beef menu from Japan. Aragawa in Tokyo is billed as one of the world's most expensive restaurants, with a reputation forged over many decades, since it first opened in the sixties. The brand is famous for its melt in the mouth, incredibly pricey Kobe beef, sourced from Tajima-gyu. Now, Aragawa is gracing the central London with its legendary, luxury steaks and a predictably high price tag to match.
Tajima beef comes from the finest cattle, carefully raised under the watch of Japan's leading producers and signed off under a rigorous certification process by the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture. The chefs at Aragawa let the beef speak for itself as it is only seasoned with salt and pepper before being broiled on metal skewers in a special kiln fired by Binchotan charcoals. This special cooking technique enhances the natural flavour of the beef that makes for a once-in-a-lifetime dining experience. Aragawa London also features an open kitchen where you can watch chefs carefully cooking steaks over the coals.
Another signature dish that Aragawa is famous for is smoked salmon. Days of work goes into the traditional meal with about 5kg of salmon prepared across the week; the whole fish is smoked at a high temperature on the final day of preparation in Aragawa's special kiln. Slow-smoked and served in an authentic Japanese style, the fish takes on a unique flavour that has made it a menu staple at Aragawa Tokyo, and it will also feature on the menu here.
Naturally, these ingredients and specific cooking techniques don't come cheap. The set menu at Aragawa Tokyo costs £400, and dinner at Aragawa London promises to be even more expensive, with Aragawa confirming that dinner at the Mayfair restaurant will likely set you back £750 on average, depending on what wine you order. The wine options are plentiful too - the wine list focuses on grand cru vineyards in Borfeaux, Burgundy and Champagne, and there are over 1000 bottles in the Aragawa collection.