Japanese

• Clap is spreading to Knightsbridge

  

  10/1/24 - updated with the opening date

  In a strong case of "you really should have renamed this before opening in the UK", Clap is coming to Knightsbridge. 

  Clap, a restaurant that's inevitably only going to be referred to with a definite article attached, has opened in Dubai, Riyadh and Beirut before landing in London. Referred to as "sensory Japanese dining" (which we're not sure makes it any

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• Iné is a new Japanese (and omakase) restaurant in Hampstead from the Taku team

  

  14/12/23 - Updated with the opening date

  Can London have too many omakase restaurants? It appears not, as the people behind Taku in Mayfair are getting ready to open a restaurant with its own omakase counter in Hampstead (taking over what used to be Goldfish).

  Iné will have an eight-seater omakase counter alongside booth seating if you want to pop in for

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• Tokyo's Kobe beef specialists Aragawa are heading to London

  

  Updated 17/10/23 with opening date

  London's carnivores with big pockets have a new treat coming their way this summer. One of Tokyo's most prestigious restaurants is opening its first restaurant outside Japan, in Mayfair.

  They're taking over the old Miyama site on Clarges Street bringing their legendary - and pricey - steaks to the West End.

  Billed as one of the world's most expensive

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• London sake brewery Kanpai are moving their taproom and kitchen to Bermondsey

  

  27/9/23 - updated with details of the launch

  Seven years after they opened their taproom and kitchen in Peckham, London sake brewery Kanpai are on the move. Over the past few years, the self-taught brewers Tom and Lucy Wilson built up a loyal audience for their small-batch craft sake, opening first their taproom followed by a kitchen opposite where they ran a series of residencies serving up Japanese

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• Test Driving Hiden - the Japanese curry lab expands its size and menu in Finsbury Park

  

  Japanese curry specialists Hiden have expanded to Finsbury Park and the menu's grown too. We went along to pay them a visit.

• Okonomiheads sees the SushiHeads team open in Haggerston

  

  The folk behind SushiHeads in Tottenham have now got a new venture to pour their energies into. Having closed their Tottenham restaurant just weeks ago they're now open as Okonomiheads in Haggerston.

  The talent behind the business is Naomi Simpson. Her decision to open an okonomiyaki restaurant has its roots in her family history - her parents ran an okonomiyaki bar in Osaka. They retired this year and, as Naomi

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• Hiden are bringing their Japanese curry to Finsbury Park

  

  A Hot Dinners exclusive

  A walk along Stroud Green Road today revealed that the finishing touches are currently being put on Hiden's new restaurant. If you haven't tried their food before, the Japanese curry specialists can also be found at Coal Drops Yard. Up in Finsbury Park they've taken over where Seasons used to be. 

  They serve up three iterations of the curry - original beef, a mild chicken

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• Sushi Kanesaka brings omakase to 45 Park Lane

  

  We're still a little surprised when it happens but occasionally the odd restaurant does manage to launch in a fairly stealthy fashion. The latest of those is Sushi Kanesaka which is opening at 45 Park Lane, the hotel right opposite The Dorchester. 

  It comes from top sushi chef Shinji Kanesaka who also has a two-Michelin-starred restaurant by the same name in Tokyo. The London

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• London's best restaurants with omakase menus

  

  Japanese omakase restaurants (which roughly translates as "leaving the menu up to the chef") have become a big thing in London of late. Long tasting menus, often sushi-led, are delivered in some of London's most beautiful dining rooms. Here's our pick of the best along with a guide to the restaurants where you can get the experience on a (slightly) smaller budget.  

• Where to get a great lunchtime bento box in London

   

  Some of London's great lunchtime deals come in the form of bento boxes. Here's our pick of the best out there.

• London's best sandos - the sandwich as art form

   

  Sandos - they're just so pleasing to the eye aren't they? London, as you might imagine, has its fair share of these symmetrically-crafted sandwiches on offer. If you hate crusts, then come this way.

• Test Driving Mayha's The Bar Downstairs - omakase with cocktail pairing

  

  Underneath this Japanese restaurant on Chiltern Street there's a tiny bar serving up an omakase menu of sushi paired with cocktails. We went to try it out. 

• Roketsu restaurant to open a new downstairs dining space, Bo-sen, in Marylebone

  

  It feels like it’s only been a minute since Roketsu launched its Japanese kaiseki restaurant in London and now there’s news that it’s opening a downstairs dining option in the same space. Called Bo-sen, it’s a very intimate affair, seating just eight, and will be quite different in approach to Roketsu, which

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• Mayha in Marylebone has a very intimate new Bar Downstairs with cocktails and bites

  

  We're already hearing good things about new omakase restaurant Mayha in Marylebone with The Independent's critic Lucy Thackray describing it thus: "It’s calming. It’s compelling. It’s completely addictive."

  Now they're about to open the final stage of their offering - a teeny underground bar space. The Bar Downstairs will have just six seats - so get ready to fight for them. The restaurant's 'head of drinks'

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• Kibako brings sushi and sashimi boxes to Fitzrovia from the Hot Stone team

  

  The team behind Hot Stone have a new restaurant on the way, taking over from what used to be Rai in Fitzrovia. 

  Kibako is being billed as a modern Japanese restaurant, which takes its name from omakase-style boxes that are one of the key parts of the menu. These kikabo boxes feature 10-12 pieces of sushi and sashimi which they say are "chosen personally by the kitchen for

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