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Rendered sleek, smart and stylish to within an inch of its life, this Japanese fusion restaurant teeters on being a bit too tasteful. With the exception of a dinky origami chopstick rest, which appeared courtesy of a shoo-in for London’s most charming waiter, it was just a bit characterless. Luckily, it bucked the usual restaurant trend of smarter the place, smaller the portions; flavours were pretty on the mark too.
Filo Shrimp Tempura, wrapped in angel hair vermicelli instead of the traditional batter, was crunchy and delicious, and came with a nicely spiced mayo. Crispy Calamari with black olives, if a little oily, was still light – although without the dipping sauce, it would have been bland. It was the wild card order that proved the winner: Shiromi Yuzu Tomato. The thought of crushing delicate sashimi with tomato and truffle sounded so intriguingly awful that I had to try it. Clean-tasting and tart, it rested on a wonderful granita flavoured with shiso (a Far Eastern member of the mint family) and the whole dish was beautifully balanced. However, things took a turn for the disappointing when the signature sushi arrived. An exhausting smorgasbord of flavours, it was trying way too hard.
If Oliver Maki were to heed Coco Chanel’s advice (‘Before you leave the house, look in the mirror and take one thing off’) and lose some unnecessary ingredients, it might just turn out to be brilliant.