Niju

Japanese reboot 

Half Cobb Farm chicken ‘katsu’, shredded cabbage, tonkatsu

Nestled in the heart of Mayfair where the short-lived 20 Barkery used to be, Niji is a sophisticated Japanese restaurant that effortlessly blends tradition with modernity. Oversee my master sushi chef Endo San, the menu at Niji is a testament to the art of Japanese cuisine, featuring a range of traditional dishes with a contemporary European twist. While its press release mentions it has a focus on Japanese home cooking, I doubt an average Japanese household would cook lobster, wagyu, and turbot regularly. Over my 2 visits within the space of a week, I managed to try out a large selection of its menu.

Tomato tartare, shiso, sorbet

Sashimi selection

Nigiri selection

Akami, toro & negitoro futomaki, benitade, shiso

Grilled Orkney scallop, karasumi butter, golden enoki

The sushi and sashimi offerings are particularly noteworthy, with each piece meticulously crafted and bursting with flavour with its Niju's special treatment using a range of garnishes to take it to another level, such as caviar on fatty tuna and trout jelly on trout rolls. The fish quality was very high, and the rice was perfectly seasoned. I found the hot dish to be even better, the lobster gohan rice was stunning, cooked with Native Scottish lobster with a killer shellfish bisque, served in a hot stone pot, this is a special dish with the lobster cooked to perfection, loaded with so much sweet umami taste and the rice had a remarkable sticky and chewy texture with a hint of sour note, this dish is the rice dish of the year for me.

Roasted turbot, furikake, tomato & miso butter

Soy-braised pork belly, mustard, butter lettuce

Native lobster Gohan, bottarga, bisque

35 day-aged Lake District bone-in fillet

Pistachio and olive oil cake

The service at Niji is exemplary, striking a perfect balance between attentiveness and discretion. As expected in Mayfair, dining at Niji is a luxurious experience that comes with a price tag to match. However, the quality of the food, service, and overall experience justifies the cost, you are getting some really high-grade ingredients after all. I felt the balance of European touch was just about right while it still maintained a great degree of Japanese cuisine DNA, I would rate Niju to be the next-level version of Roka and Zuma.

Food 4/5


What I paid: 
£120 per head

Average cost without drinks and services:
£100

20 Berkeley St, London W1J 8EE

https://nijulondon.com/