The chef at work
What can you tell us about Cubé?
Well mainly that there are some very interesting folk involved. Chef Osamu Mizuno was previously at Nobu and Sake no Hana, the manager Mayumi Nunn comes here via Kanada-Ya and Eat Tokyo and their downstairs Kakurega Bar is being run by Reo Nomura who's worked at Kouzu and Tokimeite. All in all it adds up to an impressive joint resume.
Where exactly is it?
On Blenheim Street, just tucked in off New Bond Street and below Oxford Street. Your nearest tube is Bond Street.
Where should we meet friends for a drink first?
It's a bit of a bar dessert around here. If the rooftop at John Lewis is open, that's a potential spot, or you could do as we did and meet at The Guinea Grill which is barely five minutes walk away and serves a cracking barrel-aged Negroni. Alternatively, you could just pop down to the hideaway basement bar here and order one of their rather good cocktails. We had an Okinawa Old Fashioned with Mikkakoji (£11) which went down rather well.
Chicken kara-age served with jalapeno mayo and smoked salt
So it's a sushi spot then?
Well yes and no. They actually bill themselves as serving Japanese tapas and fine dining sushi. There's plenty here from the less-traditional spectrum including taco rice and cold udon with olive and truffle pesto to raise eyebrows. Head here at lunchtime if you want the taco rice or rice burgers.
The menu ranges from nibbles, salads and soups before moving on to cold and hot tapas and then on to the sushi. If you'd prefer to let the chef lead, head to the counter which is where you need to sit to order the omakase menu which for £75 takes you through a selection of starters, nigiri, maki and finishing with clear soup.
We kicked off with spoons of fresh tofu with yuzu chilli (£4.90) and some brilliant kara-age chicken sticks (£6.90) before moving onto strips of koji rubbed beef (£12.90) which came with a grilled mushroom and tomato much like an old-school English grill would serve it.
We had to try the udon (£8.90), which turned out to be an oddball dish with super texture that we'd definitely order again. And then it was onto the sushi with a wonderful nine-piece combo of the chef's choice of nigiri (£25) and then a cheeky final dish of tuna and scallop sashimi.
The chef's selection of nigiri
What about wine?
Well, you could really go a bit crazy here working your way through the owner's cellar list of fine wines with very low mark-ups - how about a 96 Pol Roger for £150? But we went the sensible route and just had a couple of glasses of their rather nice Organic Chablis for £8.50 for a 175ml glass.
Overall thoughts
This small but perfectly formed new Japanese spot deserves more custom and once word gets out about how good the food is, it'll be hard to get a table. Be ahead of the curve and go now while it's still easy to get a seat.
Udon with olive and truffle pesto
Hot Dinners were invited to Cube. Prices are correct at the time of writing.
More about Cubé
Where is it? 4 Blenheim St, London W1S 1LB
When does it open? Open now. Opening hours are Tuesday - Saturday: 12-2.30pm / 6pm- last orders at 10.30pm; Kakurega Bar opening times are the same as the restaurant with last orders at 11pm.
How to book: Call 020 7165 9506
Find out more: Visit their website or follow them on Twitter @c_u_b_e___
