Reena Patel finds fine Japanese dining at Kouzu in Belgravia
There’s a major appetite for more world-class sushi and sashimi in London, and the new entry of Kouzu ticks the box.
Within less than a minute’s walk from the iconic Goring Hotel, we reached Kouzu’s corner building and palatial double door entrance. Heading up the spiral staircase to the floating mezzanine level, we sat down at our table near the chef’s show kitchen area and omakase sushi bar. Back downstairs, accessed through the silver open-plan kitchen, there is also a secret door to a private dining room, where you can dine exclusively with your own chef.
The word ‘kouzu’ means ‘composition’ in Japanese, and this vein consciously runs through the restaurant’s offering.
As well as the food, the cocktails are concocted with high skill – try the refreshing cucumber-tini made with fresh cucumber and lime, or go off-piste and ask the mixologist to muddle your favourite tipple without any doubt.
From the hot starters section, we also tried crunchy hot pieces of prawn tempura with spicy mayonnaise and, from the charcoal grill menu, moved on to welcoming familiar mains of buttery black cod with orange cherry tomato salsa and one of the chef’s specials: sea bass with a more-ish yuzu garlic sauce and mixed vegetables.
Make sure to leave enough space for some dessert too. We recommend the landscaped parfait – a tutti-frutti iced pastel treat with flavours of matcha tea, strawberry and mango.
Kouzu – How and where?
Address: Kouzu, 21 Grosvenor Gardens, London SW1 0JW, United Kingdom
Phone: +44 20 7730 7043
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