Replacing the original Taka site (the second location in Marylebone remains open), MARU is an intimate Japanese restaurant found in Shepherd’s Market which offers a unique counter dining experience to just 10 guests at a time - at an unsurprisingly high price.
The minimalist space features one long dining counter which has been custom-made for the restaurant, as well as two custom-made fridges displaying aged fish. Adding some more character to the space are artworks by Japanese calligrapher Maaya Wagasuki. On the lower ground floor, there is a welcome area, where guests can enjoy a few drinks before or after their meal.
MARU is overseen by third generation sushi chef Taiji Maruyama and is among the first in the UK to specialise in the Japanese culinary technique of dry ageing fish. The sole food offering here is a 20-course farm-to-table tasting menu, which is served omakase style (a Japanese custom of allowing the chef to create a tailor-made meal for you which champions the best available ingredients at that time).
As such, the menus change daily and are dictated by what is seasonally and locally available and unusually for a Japanese restaurant in London, wherever possible, ingredients are sourced from within the British Isles. Despite this, you can often expect to find luxury ingredients such as Perigord truffle, Wagyu beef and caviar peppered throughout the menu. While the menu will be different on each visit, the sort of dishes you can expect to come across include the likes of eight day dry-aged tuna, a Sussex Namayasai farm garden salad and Brixham squid nigiri topped with Exmoor caviar.
At the end of their meal, guests will receive a gift to take home with them, which includes a breakfast pastry for the next morning, as well as a scarf and a pair of chopsticks.