Alfresco dining at Sumi on Westbourne Grove
What do we need to know about Sumi?
The key thing you do need to know is who's behind Sumi. And that's none other than top sushi chef Endo Kazutoshi. They're describing this as a sibling restaurant to the Michelin-starred Endo at The Rotunda in White City and - in case you were wondering - it's named after Endo's mum.
Where is it?
You'll find it on Westbourne Grove, sort of in the middle of various tubes - Royal Oak, Notting Hill Gate and Bayswater.
Where's good to meet friends for a drink first?
There are two decent pubs close by - the Cock & Bottle and The Hayden Arms.
Where should we sit?
That depends on whether you like watching the action at the counter dining or prefer alfresco. At the moment there's a large covered outside terrace that is doing storming business in the sunshine. But the restaurant's pretty capacious inside with two dining rooms, front and rear.
Once more restrictions are lifted, the seats right in front of the sushi counter will be the ones to grab.
There's a nice counter down the length of the rear dining room that'd be particularly great for solo diners.
What's on the menu?
Head Chef Yasuda Akinori (previously of Zuma), has put together a menu neatly split into starters, nigiri or sashimi, temaki and main dishes. Here's a flavour of what's on offer:
Sumi ceviche (£19) - a beautiful dish on the starters menu. Large enough to share, too.
Akami and sake salmon nigiri (both £8 each for two). You can - and we did - opt for certain nigiri to be blowtorched and served as aburi nigiri.
Toru-taku (£12) and hotate (£9) temakis. These hand-rolled sushi 'tacos' are a large part of the menu here at Sumi. The hotate comes hugely recommended - it's thick slices of scallops with shiso flowers, soy and salt.
Japanese A4 wagyu striploin served with charred puntarelle and a yuzu onion sauce (£55) - one of four main dishes on the menu, this is hands-down one of the most delicious wagyu we've ever tasted. A treat - but worth it.
Room for dessert?
Options for the end of the meal are limited, with just two choices. There's a Sumi ice-cream - and this...
Matcha Mille (£8) - Perfect matcha mille crepe cake. One for OCD diners delighting in that construction.
And to drink?
There's a wide range of cocktails, sake and wines on offer - our booze-free Pretty Berry (£8) with apple, yuzu, lemon, raspberries and soda was a summer tonic.
Summing up:
Maybe it's the fact that Notting Hill residents who'd normally be spending half term on the Med were kicking their heels at home, but this place was properly buzzing on a Tuesday lunchtime. The pared-back interiors and casual menu seem purpose-made for this part of town, but we'd say it's worth you travelling for those temakis.
Hot Dinners dined as guests of Sumi. Prices correct at time of publication
More about Sumi
Where is it? 157 Westbourne Grove, London W11 2RS
Find out more: Visit their website or follow them on Instagram @sumilondon.
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