Sushi in the capital is a terribly binary thing. If you don’t want the ice-cold bento offerings of interminable supermarkets and chains, you’ll have to fork out heart-breaking sums of cash somewhere in Mayfair. With a few merciful exceptions, there really isn’t that much in-between.
This is especially true of omakase; a single L-shaped bar, where quiet and respectful patrons are treated to a chef’s own take on how to elevate a piece of fish on seasoned rice. In Japan you can find this for around £40 a head if you’re savvy (or very easily if you’re a Time Out Tokyo devotee) but in London this is the stuff of fantasy. Sushi Kyu, on Soho’s lascivious Brewer Street, a few doors down from the assorted cod-piece and jazz mag shops, aims to fill that gap. It does so with aplomb.
You will be extremely hard pressed to find a better sushi experience in London for less
There is an la carte menu available at Sushi Kyu, with a selection of maki rolls, chirashi don rice bowls, sashimi and nigiri, but the wallet-friendly omakase is what makes this place special. Said set menu starts with a sashimi appetizer, hamachi with a yuzu ponzu, shiso flower and jalapeño. The shiso flowers are more delicately flavoured than herbal, minty leaves, and the wafer thin slice of jalapeño adds just a flicker of grassy heat.
The nigiri sushi section of the menu contains eight pieces. The rice is seasoned with Akazu vinegar, giving it a reddish hue, and is perfectly warm, with space passing through the grains so as not to be a stodgy lump. We could give an individual mark and breakdown for each piece, but suspect that might get a little boring for you, dear reader, so here are the big hitters.
- A slice of red mullet sourced from France, with grated white radish, yuzu, chilli and shiso, the combination of which give the fish an excellent funk.
- A blowtorched piece of Korean turbot with caramelised lemon and spring onion, which has a delicious char, and uses both lean and fatty parts of the body for a textural delight.
- A soft section of squid topped with the minerality of Icelandic sea urchin is fantastic, and we’re lucky to have it right at the end of the winter season.
- A trio of tuna nigiri, with lean akami from Spain, medium chutoro topped with oscietra caviar, and fatty otoro served simply with smooth and delicate unpasteurised soy sauce and salt. Each piece brings a bigger flood of serotonin to the brain than the last.
- A chutoro handroll is a little more fun and informal than the previous dishes, but no less delicious.
Dessert was a raspberry sorbet from award-winning British gelato producers Cremoloso and was an appropriately soft-yet-tart end to an elegant meal with surprises up its sleeve.
This dinner omakase menu will set you back £74.80, or £51.80 at lunch. It’s still a lot of money. But you will be extremely hard pressed to find a better sushi experience in London for less than this. Plus, there’s karaoke in the basement. Octopus’s Garden anyone?
The vibe A tasteful omakase on one of London’s most pornographic streets.
The food A la carte and omakase sushi of very high order.
The drink A great selection of sake. We had a zesty and light Shirakabegura Junmai, warmed to body temperature, which paired perfectly.
Time Out tip These chefs here know what they’re doing - let them curate the evening for you. It won’t disappoint.