Taku

The 2020s have been, so far, a decade of omakase in London. Most of us had no idea what this very specific style of eating entailed a few years ago, but fast forward to 2023 and omakase restaurants have crept across the capital and garnered numerous awards. The latest of those award-winners is Taku, and it conforms to many of the stereotypes of the genre, delivering a no-expense-spared menu with the hushed reverence of an art exhibition.

First, the location. Taku’s spot on prestigious Mayfair thoroughfare Albemarle Street is about as glamorous as you can get, so it’s perhaps no surprise that the top-end Prestige menu takes the cake at a wallet-bashing £380 per person. Inside, Taku is a carpenter’s dream - wooden wall panels and a sleek handmade wooden counter draw a soft line to the back of the restaurant, and 16 angular wooden stools sit along its length. Chef’s silently prepare on the other side, slicing premium sashimi and balancing spoons of caviar on little heaps of tuna tartare.

For that sort of money, the food has to be nigh on perfect and that’s where Taku certainly delivers. Before we even reach the peak moments of exquisite nigiri, the early bites delight - a small bowl of fatty tuna belly and caviar is pure opulence, and we treasure each succulent spoonful of lobster chawanmushi. Each brilliant course raises the expectation for what’s to come, and the euphoric crescendo comes with a series of nigiri, each of which plays cleverly with flavour and texture. Sushi lovers won’t be disappointed by Taku, though they may be a little miffed that the man himself appears infrequently, instead leaving his well-oiled team to handle service.

Sommelier service from Bowie Tsang is outstanding too, as he brings wonderful sakes and the odd Champagne (on our visit, a stunning 2017 Chassagne Montrachet) to the fore. As ever, the solemnity of the omakase experience might not suit everyone (not to mention the eyewatering price tag), but there’s little faulting the food and drink at Taku - it’s right up there with the very best omakase in the city.

London’s omakase dining scene is going through a bit of a boom period, and this is a restaurant leading the charge. Set in Mayfair, London’s swishest district, Taku is a Michelin star edomae omakase restaurant by founder and world-renowned chef Takuya Watanabe. He’s also the man behind the first Michelin-starred omakase restaurant in Paris, Jin, which he’s retained for over a decade. Clearly it’s not a fluke, Jin was awarded its star after only one year, and Taku earned its star after just four months in operation - a feat that’s practically unheard of.

Taku is a small, but thoughtful restaurant. Guests are seated at one long English oak counter where they can watch Takuya’s team of dedicated chefs create masterful sushi and sashimi dishes. Elsewhere, minimalist interiors make use of natural materials, from pale woods to neutral stone, to offer a calm and traditional aesthetic. To preserve this calm, loud talking and phone calls are discouraged, and late arrivals are not permitted.

With just 16 covers seated at the counter, the restaurant accepts three sittings each day from Tuesday to Saturday, with the option to choose between a lunch omakase menu, and a signature or prestige omakase menu for dinner. If you’re not familiar with the term omakase, it’s a form of Japanese dining that translates as ‘I’ll leave it up to you’, in which guests pass complete control over to the chef.

The number of courses varies meal to meal, but you can expect the tasting menu to feature anything between 17-20 courses. Dishes have included lightly poached Native Lobster, finished on binchotan and served with kuroshichimi from Kyoto. The Taku drinks list is overseen by sommelier Bowie Tsang who brings a refined selection of fine and rare wines, champagnes and specialty sake.