London’s Newest Fine-Dining Japanese Restaurant Is A Lesson In Quiet Luxury
London is no stranger to fine-dining sushi restaurants. From Endo at the Rotunda (which is sadly temporarily closed due to a fire) to Sushi Kaneseka, which serves a Michelin-starred omakase sushi experience, if you want to shell out some dough on sushi, there are more than a few options. So one can argue – does London really need another one? But here’s the thing: once you get a taste of a few, you get greedy. Especially when it comes to sushi. Especially when it comes to sushi at shiny new restaurants.
What sets it apart
Located in the heart of Mayfair, at the sparkly new The Chancery Rosewood hotel, Tobi Masa fits in effortlessly with its gleaming surroundings. And while it’s every bit as luxurious as you can expect, it’s also a hotel restaurant at the end of the day, so it caters to a variety of clientele. If you’re in town for a business meeting and can’t be bothered to leave the hotel for dinner, you can take a seat at the sushi counter. But also, if you’re looking for a place to impress someone special, you can get a cosy corner or take the family out to celebrate an occasion and get the big table.
Located at the sparkly new The Chancery Rosewood hotel, Tobi Masa fits in effortlessly with its gleaming surroundings.
Our experience
I walked in the day after it opened, and already, the restaurant was almost full. But it isn’t the kind of restaurant where you’re sitting elbow to elbow with other guests. The tables are luxuriously placed at a comfortable distance from each other, so there’s less chance of someone eavesdropping while you’re name-dropping (or whatever it is that people who can afford a night at The Chancery Rosewood do.) The restaurant introduces London to the world of chef Masayoshi “Masa” Takayama, who is best known for his three-Michelin-starred New York restaurant, Masa, and is largely credited for redefining the way people eat sushi in America. In his UK debut, the focus is on creating a minimalist and quietly luxurious dining experience.
The restaurant introduces London to the world of chef Masayoshi “Masa” Takayama.
What we ordered
A meal here is a carefully choreographed one – with a few surprises. For example, I am told that the sushi is eaten at the end of the meal (so I am instructed to leave some room for it). It’s always interesting to see your food being made in front of you, and there are several stations located in different parts of the restaurant. When you enter, there’s the sushi counter where you watch the masters perfectly slicing and rolling. At the hot food station, food is sizzled and roasted and steamed. In the cold section, your fish is prepared and seasoned.
We started with a chicken salad, which is mostly chicken and fewer leaves (very good if you’re counting your grams of protein), and padron peppers, which were delicious to snack on. The green salad roll is a light and quite summery starter. The highlight had to be the meaty dishes – the wagyu skewers literally melt in your mouth and come with a flavoursome sauce (so good that we ordered an extra portion). The cumin lamb served with okra is fabulous. It has a lovely mix of South Asian and Western flavours that I haven’t tried before, and it somehow works wonderfully well together.
The final order was, as promised in the beginning, the sushi. The menu has a staggering selection of nigiri and sashimi, and they offer an omakase experience as well. From Suzuki seabass, tai seabream, Akami bluefin tuna, sake salmon and Kanpachi yellowtail to A5 wagyu, Masa truffle ball and smoked trout roe – you’ll be best served to ask for recommendations and chat with your server before you make your picks if the menu seems overwhelming.
The menu has a staggering selection of nigiri and sashimi.
The tuna rolls are fleshy and perfectly flavoured and taste fresh on the palate. The entire experience feels all the more special after you’ve watched the experts prepare it for you at the counter.
Don’t ignore the wine menu when you visit. Tucked away in a corner of the restaurant is a stunning sake bar where the team plans to host sake experiences – the sommelier will happily guide you to the perfect one for you. Sake and sushi are, of course, quite the match made in heaven, but there is also a great selection of mocktails to choose from if you don’t drink. If you walk towards the end of the restaurant, you’ll find a glamorous bar, where you can get a drink after your meal and the bartender can whip up something special.
Tucked away in a corner of the restaurant is a stunning sake bar.
The verdict
Tobi Masa is refined rather than buzzy – it may not replace your favourite sushi spot for lunch, but for a special evening out, it delivers. None of this comes cheap, of course, and a lot of the really spectacular dishes (lobster cocktail, caviar truffle fried rice, beef tataki truffle…) all come with a hefty price tag. It’s a place that celebrates authentic Japanese cuisine influenced by subtle global flavours, and where you can find little hints of art on your plate – especially with those sushi rolls. I loved the luxury of space around me at the table, while the dishes arrived one after the other, all perfectly plated for a photoshoot. Everything is pretty and elegant without being boring, and you find yourself in the hands of a chef who knows how to put on a great show.
