Moi in Soho has always felt like a Japanese restaurant that understands restraint. That calm confidence made it the perfect setting for Tuna Chop Shop, a one-off special event that felt less like a themed dinner and more like being invited into a quietly obsessive chef’s personal playground. The menu for the night was centred entirely on a 140kg Spanish blue thin tuna, but not in a predictable “tasting menu flex” way. Instead, it leaned into craft. Cuts were treated with the same respect you’d expect at a serious fish market, but filtered through Moi’s precise, modern cooking. From the first plate, it was clear this wasn’t about luxury for its own sake. It was about understanding the fish fully, from texture to temperature to fat content, and letting each part speak clearly. Relaxed, thoughtful, and quietly confident, exactly what you hope for when a restaurant puts its reputation on the line for a one-off idea.
Yes another Ibai post, it is now my no 1 London restaurant alongside The Ledbury. What I love about Ibai is the casual vibe and top-notch open fire cooking. This is a place that wants you to pay attention, not to be impressed by tricks. The Basque influence is clear but not shouted. It is present in the restraint, in the respect for ingredients, in the way fire and salt seem to be treated as tools rather than signatures. The menu reads with clarity. It does not try to do everything. It makes choices and stands by them. You sense that the kitchen is more interested in depth than range, and that confidence is reassuring. The below covers my 16th and 17th visits.
