Endo at the Rotunda

The London sushi benchmark?

Trio of tuna

I rarely splash my cash on Japanese fine ding as it is the most expensive cuisine in London, and most places would set you back more than £250 per person when factor in service. For that very reason, I would need to make sure if I do go for Japanese, it has to be worth my dosh and my time. I had an excellent meal at Roketsu in 2022 which specializes in kaiseki cuisine, but also a really underwhelming sushi meal at Roji. Among the foodies' community, Endo is supposed to be the peak of sushi in London and I would love to test that theory. It serves an omakase blind-tasting menu only, you would not know what to get till you get there.

Tuna

Red shrimps, prawn head and caviar

Squid and caviar

Mushrooms and truffle

Seabass

The meal contained about 20 courses of mini dishes, most came in sushi form which came in bite-size. The first of these is an A4 wagyu beef tartar, it was lightly seared on a pan before severed on brioche. As expected, it had a melting buttery taste that was exposed on first bite, it was lovely. The stand-out sushi for me was red prawn sushi that came with some spread of prawn head paste and a spoon of caviar. What can I say, it was a sweet umami sensation, really delightful, fresh and powerful at the same time. The Portuguese fatty tuna was another top-class sushi, it had a stunning melt-in-your-mouth texture, that tiny bit of soy seasoning enhanced the freshness of the sushi and the addition of black truffle was a welcoming addition, what a classy sushi it was. 

Cornish turbot

Sea urchin

Tofu and mussel

Tuna and truffle

A5 wagyu sirloin

The sky-high price point reflected on the prime seafood ingredients Endo sourced directly with Fishman who specializes in rare premium catches. When considering the meal contained some really fine tuna, red prawn, sea urchin, truffle and caviar, it is understandable why it commands such a price tag. What I would love to see is if Endo can pull out a great meal using more humble ingredients, that would be interesting to see. The service was of high standard and the food quality was top-notch, but it does come with a heavy price tag. Endo did offer me the best London sushi experience to date.

Food 4/5

Executive chef: 
Endo Kazutoshi

Average cost without drinks and services:
Tasting menu: £250

8th Floor, The Helios, Television Centre, 101 Wood Ln, London W12 7FR

https://www.endoatrotunda.com/