The main event, the black cod and wagyu itself (this costs £40 for dinner or £30 at lunch). The wagyu is from Australia (it's a picanha cut) and the black cod is from Alaska. They marinate the cod in a miso sauce for 24 hrs, then remove it from the marinade and glaze it with some fresh miso marinade, bake it in the oven and finish by caramelising it. So yes, that's rather good.
What can you tell us about Black Cod and Wagyu?
It's the latest wheeze from the same people behind Goodman, Burger and Lobster, Beast and Zelman Meats. It's another one of their opportunities to make previously expensive dishes much more affordable to everyday diners - black cod and wagyu beef doesn't normally come cheap, you know (the black cod miso at Nobu is a whopping £42).
So how can they make this more affordable?
They've got huge tank space over near Heathrow which allows them to store more of the black cod and, much like their lobster, more stock means they can pass on the savings to customers.
And where is this restaurant?
It's taken over the bar space at Zelman Meats in Soho for at least until the end of the year. If it all proves popular, they may be looking at making it a more permanent London fixture.
So how does the menu work?
It's a more trimmed down affair than the normal Zelman Meats menu - concentrating on starters, mains and the sides. The mains - which is why you'll be here are priced at either £20 each for the black cod or wagyu (£15 at lunchtime) - or £40 for the both of them together which we think will be enough for two people when combined with sides and starters. And the other dishes can also be found on the main Zelman Meats menu.
Here's what we had on the night as well as the main event, which you can see above.
While we were impressed by the main dishe, we absolutely LOVED these lobster croquettes on the starters part of the menu (£10). Each croquette is filled with spiced seafood bisque béchamel with chunks of lobster and it's served on top of lobster sauce. They're epic.
Can't quite resist a tuna tartare when it's on the menu - comes with avocado and ponzu sauce as well as the prawn crackers (£10). There's a steak tartare for £10 too.
Apparently one of the most popular dishes on the menu - the tiger prawn tempura with Holy Fuck Mayo (£8). We can see why.
Because we can never get enough lobster - this is the lobster fried rice (with peppers, scallions/spring onion and Canadian lobster) - yours for £10.
And yes, Zelman Meats is heavy on the meat, but we also rather loved this cauliflower carpaccio with truffle, parmesan and ponzu (£6).
And how about drinks?
There's a short, bespoke wine list for the pop-up (prices start at £25 a bottle, with 250ml carafes available too). We can heartily recommend the Joseph Cromy Pinot Noir from Tasmania - £50 and worth every penny. In addition, they've two bespoke cocktails on the menu - and here they are...
On the left - The Umeshu Negroni (Gin, Londinio Aperitivo - made in-house - and plum sake) and on the right the "Thai" breaker smash (Tai basil, Citron vodka, plum sake, lemon, ginger and agave). Both are £10.
Overall thoughts?
This pop-up gives you the chance to try some more of the more expensive dishes in London for a lot less money than usual. As ever, Zelman serves up great quality - and we think you shouldn't miss the opportunity to try out the cod at the very least. And those epic lobster croquettes - they're worth going back fo again and again.
Hot Dinners were invited to Black Cod and Wagyu. Prices are correct at the time of writing.
More about Zelman Meats' Black Cod and Wagyu
Where is it? 2 St Anne's Ct, Soho, London W1F 0AZ
How to book: On their website (and on Instagram too).
Find out more: Find out more: Visit their website or follow them on Twitter @Zelman_Meats.
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