This £50 Sushi Spot Proves Great Omakase Doesn’t Have To Bankrupt You
Many, us included, have made the point recently that there is something inherently paradoxical happening with sushi in London. Cuts and inflation are making the business of running a restaurant in the city increasingly hostile, and yet the biggest boom of the last two years is expensive, high-end omakase experiences. They are undeniably delicious – we’ve even reviewed some of them – but financially prohibitive for most.
It shouldn’t be this way. The idea that sushi is either an expense so extravagant you have to save up for, or Itsu, just doesn’t feel right – and it’s really only a thing when it travels. So we went looking for somewhere in the mid-range; trained sushi chefs, quality, fresh fish and performance theatre, but not a bill that arrives like a gunshot.
What sets it apart
Our quest led us to Soho and, from the outside, an inconspicuous-looking spot called Sushi Kyu, which opened almost six months ago. Inside, there’s a 10-seater counter and a karaoke booth in the back which, although it’s run by separate ownership, is a dream combo.
Kyu is the much more casual sister restaurant to the glitzy Mayfair spot Cubé, where all its chefs are trained under the watchful eye of owner-chef Takamasa Mogi. Rather than being ushered through several levels of waiting rooms until eventually making it to a hidden backroom in a five-star hotel (a common omakase experience) we simply wandered in from a sunny spring afternoon and pulled up at the counter.
Kyu is the much more casual sister restaurant to the glitzy Mayfair spot Cubé
What we ordered
There is a range of great-looking sashimi sets or a-la-carte options, but we opted for the omakase – at lunch, you get a starter, dessert, and seven rotating courses of nigiri, depending on what is fresh, for £50. When you consider that good, quality seafood is always going to cost a premium, this is great value.
To start, a generous portion of fatty Spanish bluefin tuna in a zingy jalapeno sauce, the sort of starter that wakes your tastebuds up with a delicious jolt. Then, a series of nigiri hits, which led me to think, on about the third course, this is really good sushi.
Opening salvos included French sea bream balanced with yuzu and orange, and the lean part of the same bluefin tuna we had earlier with a hint of ponzu, fresh as anything.
Bluefin tuna in a zingy jalapeno sauce wakes your tastebuds up with a delicious jolt
And the hits kept on coming: jumbo prawn topped with roe that burst like popping candy, and a slightly charred red mullet that brought your tastebuds close to the sea without drowning you. I even had a nigiri first – turbot, the prized flatfish that had the texture of velvet.
To drink, the sake of course – which is having a bit of a moment right now in London even as, as our waiter told me, its popularity in Japan is slightly waning. There was a delicious-sounding peach sake on as a special, but I opted for a dryer, less sweet option that worked brilliantly. To finish, ice cream options include matcha and black sesame, part of an intriguing collaboration with London-based artisan gelateria Cremoloso – I opted for the latter, which was smooth and had just the right amount of sweetness.
Verdict
As a casual sushi affair, this does it as good as anywhere without skimping on the quality. There is a more expansive and elevated evening omakase, which is steeper at £75 but still a mercifully less ruinous price point. Several other diners sat around the counter, ordering a la carte or a set lunch menu, so you might end up being the only diners choosing what becomes basically a private Omakase.
Ultimately, for our quest to prove quality sushi in London doesn’t have to break the bank to be a success, we just had to walk about five minutes from Piccadilly Circus. A true gem that masters the art of being hidden in plain sight.
where: 30 Brewer St, London W1F 0SS
website: www.sushikyu.com
