Restaurants

By Kei Kikuchi

The former dock warehouse that contains Kombu does not offer dockview window tables. Instead, fabric screens and green-tinged, backlit glass panels provide accents to the regulation cream walls and dark furniture that surround a central sushi counter and charcoal grill.

Since Kombu sits in the shadow of ExCel, we guess the clientele here must be pretty eclectic - from business conference attendees to fetish fair-goers and international arms dealers. I say 'guess' because only one other table was occupied when we visited. Teething glitches included some cocktail ingredients unavailable, staff with shaky English and low confidence, and dishes misdescribed. However, the modern part of the menu was to drool for.

It's easy to see that consultant chef Anthony Sousa Tam (who got Atami in Westminster off to a good start last year) has had a hand in putting together this frustratingly great selection. Frustrating because it had us struggling to choose between so many enticing options: tempura sea urchin or 'crispy' razor clam, grilled foie gras with sour plum sauce or slow-cooked rib eye beef with burdock, mooli and tofu skin?

Chilean sea bass with yuzu (Japanese citron) truffle sauce, and pan-seared duck breast with pea shoots and yamamomo (Japanese red berry) purée sounded great and did not disappoint: the fish hot, fresh and chunky; the fowl pink, tender and plentiful; both complemented by their sauces. However, our assortment of classic nigiri sushi was merely okay and let down by low-grade rice.

A dessert of chocolate fondant and pistachio mousse passed muster, even if it did come with vanilla ice cream rather than the strawberry and Champagne sorbet promised on the pudding carte.
So for now, the cocktails (disappointing bellini), service and traditional dishes need to catch up with the modern cooking at which Kombu does excel.

Time Out issue 1938: October 10-16 2007