4 /5 Alice Gee: We went during their soft launch so hopefully issues around kitchen timing and serving skills will get sorted out over the next few days. The menu is a fushion of Japan meets coastal Spain. However the Japanese influence is from the stodgier side of that cuisine: think teriyaki instead of tataki.
We shared everything. From the starters and small plates section we had the milk bread, wild mushrooms, and crystal prawn tempura. From the mains we had the brill. From sides we ordered roast potatoes and greens. House red was a reasonable £31, especially given the lush atmosphere. They had sold out of the cheapest red but offered another wine at the same price. Service was knowledgeable and accomodating.
We were happy with the starters. Milk bread was quite sweet and the miso butter served with it was odd at first but paired well with the starters. Slow cooked mushrooms were delicious if a tad underseasoned. Textures were beautiful. For me the crystal prawns were the highlight of the evening. These are tiny, cheap prawns eaten deep fried with heads and shells on. They came with onsen tamago which was overcooked, not being runny enough to function as a sauce for the prawns. Still these were delicious, and drizzled with a restrained quantity of caramelized yakitori style sauce that added a faint sweetness.
Unfortunately they were out of the smoked potatoes we ordered so we opted for the chips instead. These arrived with the starters so it was hard to resist filling up on the rather unimpressive fries, given the 30 minute wait for our main. They had been scattered with nori salt. I thought they could be softer on the inside and crisper on the outside but my dining companion was less critical about their texture.
The long wait for whole brill was almost worth it. Perrfectly cooked, but we made the mistake of asking the waiter to fillet it for us. We would have done a better job ourselves, leaving less flesh on the bone and fewer bones in the flesh. The side of flourish greens was the only dish I considered truly yuck. Stodgy and Germanic despite Asian flourishes of sesame and soy. Dreadful soggy texture and taste.
