Soseki

Time Out says

Tue Nov 30 1999

It’s a curious tribute. Natsume Soseki, the late Japanese novelist after whom this new kaiseki-style restaurant is named, may have lived in London in the early 1900s, but he loathed this city and its excesses. He was also a firm critic of the wealthy upper-middle classes of his time, whose frolics and frivolities he satirised in his popular series of short stories called ‘I Am a Cat’. He was a man whose concerns, reflected in his writing, included the economic hardships faced by ordinary citizens. His startlingly modern observations of human eccentricities and class distinctions seem very relevant today, when the gap between rich and poor appears greater than ever. When you further consider the fact that prices at Soseki are more prince than pauper, the Romanticism weaving in and out of this Japanese eaterie’s manifesto becomes little more than a gimmick. But we like a good story, and it would be fallacy to ignore the effort that has gone into realising such a wonderful, picturesque space. Some might say the interior’s evocative of a temple, as it’s embellished by intricate vintage trinkets from Kyoto. The surroundings are suitably poetic in the way that Soseki himself might have approved of; for example, the smell of cedar wood and the rustle of a young waitress’s kimono as she quietly led us through the restaurant. It certainly sets the scene for exploring classic Japanese gastronomy. Soseki is one of the few restaurants in London that can lay claim to serving kaiseki-style dishes – that is, Japanese haute-cuisine. Here, the style is ‘kappo’ a more understated, but still ceremonious branch of traditional kaiseki. Kaiseki should be an impressive succession of dishes created from the most seasonal ingredients in a way that not only brings out the best flavours, but also presents the ingredient in a highly creative way. The meal is served ‘omakase’, which means diners have a seasonal, no-choice menu created by the chef that day. The idea is that each and every item in front of you represents the height of the chef’s culinary skill. On our visit, however, inspiration seemed to be flagging. Our ‘haiku’ sushi course (at £50 per head for 11 small courses) started on a high note with the sakizuke appetiser of small morsels of rolled up yuba (beancurd skin). Usually a bland ingredient, the smooth yuba was the perfect palette for a painterly dab of fiery wasabi ‘salsa’. Sashimi featured shimmering slices of salmon and yellowtail, with a little cup of sea urchin – nice, but unspectacular. Any form of kaiseki cuisine puts the greatest of chefs to the test – even if the same ingredient appears twice, the diner should not be able to discern this due to the inventiveness of execution. But we were presented with salmon and yellowtail three more times during the course of the meal, all prepared as varying forms of sushi (nigiri, gunkan sushi, maki) that were less than innovative. Other aspects were more indicative of a skilled chef – delicate simmered scallops with a fresh, balanced ponzu sauce while a curious palate cleanser of crab salad was as refreshing as the passionfruit sorbet that followed for dessert. Soybean pudding with a shiso-flavoured vodka sauce were intelligently balanced in flavour. But there were no real fireworks, nor the sense of whimsicality that comes with not knowing what to expect. In fact, we struggled to find something that sets the food here apart from numerous other Japanese eateries in the capital. Still, their dedication to sourcing sustainable fish is commendable, and it seems their culinary ambition is high, if not yet realised. If the kitchen can only up its game, then it will pay to be more forgiving towards Soseki than Soseki-san was to London.

UPDATE AUGUST 2010

The August 2010 issue of 'Restaurant' magazine reported that Soseki's site was up for sale by parent company Moshi Moshi Sushi, and is being marketed by agent Davis Coffer Lyons.