The Upcoming
  • Culture
    • Art
    • Cinema & Tv
      • Movie reviews
      • Film festivals
      • Shows
    • Food & Drinks
      • News & Features
      • Restaurant & bar reviews
      • Interviews & Recipes
    • Literature
    • Music
      • Live music
    • Theatre
  • Fashion & Lifestyle
    • Accessories
    • Beauty
    • News & Features
    • Shopping & Trends
    • Tips & How-tos
    • Fashion weeks
  • What’s On
    • Art exhibitions
    • Theatre shows
  • Tickets
  • Join us
    • Editorial unit
    • Our writers
    • Join the team
    • Join the mailing list
    • Support us
    • Contact us
  • Interviews
  • Competitions
  • Special events
    • Film festivals
      • Berlin
      • Tribeca
      • Sundance London
      • Cannes
      • Locarno
      • Venice
      • London
      • Toronto
    • Fashion weeks
      • London Fashion Week
      • New York Fashion Week
      • Milan Fashion Week
      • Paris Fashion Week
      • Haute Couture
      • London Fashion Week Men’s
  • Facebook

  • Twitter

  • Instagram

  • YouTube

  • RSS

CultureFood & DrinksRestaurant & bar reviews

Sakagura in Mayfair

Sakagura in Mayfair | Restaurant review
11 February 2017
Daniel Masters
Avatar
Daniel Masters
11 February 2017

Food

Daniel Masters4

Sakagura

BarQuick & easyCasual foodFine dining
QUICKCASUALFINE DINING

Concept

Casual dining

Cuisine

Japanese - Casual dining

Highlights

Mackerel Ceviche

Rating

★★★★★

Food ▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮

Drinks ▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮

Service ▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮

Links

InstagramFacebookTwitterWebsiteMap

Authenticity is a tricky beast. Supermarket chicken with “such and such farm” proudly emblazoned on the label, jelly babies packaged under an “old timey” name to give you the impression of an old time sweet shop, dusty shelves stacked high with glass and handwritten labels, the appeal to authenticity is everywhere. In reality, both are probably made on an industrial park on the edge of Hull, and are as authentic as a sushi pizza.

Sakagura’s excellent background, though, as the union of 2-starred Michelin experience and a traditional sake brewery, mean it’s one of those few restaurants that can wear the “authentic” badge without a hint of trickery. You can see it in our incredible sake sommelier, who perfectly matches each course to a selection of sake, and in some great mixology from the bar. The limited edition Burns Night cocktail is the highlight, bathing the table in a light smoke as it is decanted, its combination of Suntory whisky and yuzu bitters ensuring that its taste is every bit as impressive as its theatrics.

That’s a theme that carries on throughout the evening, but in no dish more so than our Tuna Tartare. With its wooden slab, tiny bowls and wooden cutlery, all perched atop what appear to be a small boulder, it looks more like a table centrepiece than a starter. Remarkably, it tastes even better than it looks: a loose slab of beautifully tender tuna, bisected by pearls of black roe, it’s a remarkably fine bit of cooking.

Mackerel Ceviche is the best dish of the evening, despite its simplicity. It’s one of those sushi dishes where the rice seems almost irrelevant, the truly exceptional mackerel upstaging it effortlessly. If you close your eyes and focus purely on the flavour, you can almost hear the gentle lap of the waves, see the surf gently crashing on the shore. Mackerel isn’t exactly known for its delicacy but here a little splash of soy cuts through all that oil and potency and leaves you with something utterly refined and delicious.

After such incredible starters we eagerly await a lobster, dressed simply with lemon juice. It smells brilliant, wafting over the table in bursts of salty sea air that have us chomping at the bit to get stuck in. What a shame that once we did, we found it to be overcooked by a rather considerable degree. It slipped from the shell not in thick, juicy bands as one would hope but rather in strings of fuzzy white meat that were only a few minutes away from mush.

Wagyu beef is considerably better, cut into thin strips and served with light seasoning and a little optional chili powder, as it should be. This elite variety of steak is at its best when it’s allowed to shine on its own, A seared crust, all smoke and fire, gives way to buttery fat and tender beef, that you don’t so much chew as allow to melt away in your mouth.

Matcha Fondant is itself a nice dish, whilst the centre’s still deliciously gooey. It’s the plum wine it’s paired with though, once again a masterful call by our sommelier, that really takes it to another level. Its intense, almost jammy sweetness works perfectly with the slight astringency that the matcha gives, creating a surprisingly light but no less indulgent twist on an old classic. Our Soy Sauce Caramel Ice Cream is much the same, the sauce acting as an interesting alternative to salt that gives it the slightest savoury tang before the caramel kicks in.

True, the lobster disappointed us, but Sakagura is barely three months months old, and some small teething issues are to be expected. With the excellence and care taken in every other aspect of both food and service, we’re sure it’s a problem they won’t struggle to iron out. Once they do, it won’t be much of a stretch to call Sakagura the best restaurant on Heddon Street.

★★★★★

Daniel Masters
Photos: Daniel Donovan

To book a table at Sakagura, 8 Heddon St Mayfair London W1B 4BU, call 020 3405 7230 or visit here.

Related Itemsreview

More in Food & Drinks

Celebrate Margarita Day at home with these simple yet sophisticated cocktails

The editorial unit
Read More

From high-altitude service to high-end delivery: Daniel Hulme’s One Fine Dine packs gourmet flavours into a fun and fuss-free experience

Rosamund Kelby
Read More

Go global this pancake day with ten recipes from around the world

Rosamund Kelby
Read More

Last-minute Valentine’s Day gifts for an intimate at-home bar experience

The editorial unit
Read More

Opso at home: Impressive Greek-inspired dishes perfect for sharing

Alex Julie Woods
Read More

The best Valentine’s Day meal deliveries for a romantic night in

The editorial unit
Read More

Delicious Chinese New Year deliveries to welcome in the year of the Ox

The editorial unit
Read More

The best food and drink for an indulgent Valentine’s Day

The editorial unit
Read More

Spotlight: Vanessa Vaz on being a young restaurateur of colour striving for diversity and community spirit

Lilly Subbotin
Read More
Scroll for more
Tap

Food

Daniel Masters4

Sakagura

BarQuick & easyCasual foodFine dining
QUICKCASUALFINE DINING

Concept

Casual dining

Cuisine

Japanese - Casual dining

Highlights

Mackerel Ceviche

Rating

★★★★★

Food ▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮

Drinks ▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮

Service ▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮

Links

InstagramFacebookTwitterWebsiteMap

  • Popular

  • Latest

  • TOP PICKS

  • Smith & Burrows – Only Smith & Burrows Is Good Enough
    ★★★★★
    Album review
  • From high-altitude service to high-end delivery: Daniel Hulme’s One Fine Dine packs gourmet flavours into a fun and fuss-free experience
    Food & Drinks
  • Celebrate Margarita Day at home with these simple yet sophisticated cocktails
    Food & Drinks
  • Edie Brickell & New Bohemians – Hunter and the Dog Star
    ★★★★★
    Album review
  • The Trial of the Chicago 7
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • Gatsby at Cadogan Hall: An interview with Jodie Steele and Ross William Wild
    Theatre
  • The United States Vs Billie Holiday
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • Berlinale 2021: Top picks to look out for in the festival’s 71st year
    Berlinale
  • Blush: An interview with director Debra Eisenstadt
    Cinema & Tv
  • Baby Done: An interview with lead actor Rose Matafeo
    Cinema & Tv
  • West End Musical Drive In Online
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • Hymn at the Almeida Theatre Online
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • Bradford – Bright Hours
    ★★★★★
    Album review
  • Pelé
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • To Olivia
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
The Upcoming
Pages
  • Contact us
  • Join mailing list
  • Join us
  • Our London food map
  • Our writers
  • Support us
  • What, when, why

Copyright © 2011-2020 FL Media

A look at the new Barbecoa restaurant in Piccadilly
Lolita Chammah: An interview with the star of Barrage