Tokimeite - Mayfair, London

Yoshihiro Murata first came to the foreground as one of Japan's all-star chefs by helming the kitchens at Kikunoi, a three Michelin-starred kaiseki restaurant, before garnering four more across the country with two other eateries in Kyoto and Tokyo. Like the Roux family in London, culinary enlightenment seems to course through Murata's bloodstream. Following the closing of his restaurant Chrysan in the City, he's put Mayfair in his crosshairs and opened Tokimeitē, which takes its name from the Japanese colloquialism for giddy anticipation or 'butterflies in the stomach'.

Located on Conduit Street, the restaurant has been given a sensitive design by Yasumichi Morita of GLAMOROUS, who lays claim to Morimoto South in Miami and Aqua Kyoto in London. The restaurant is spread over three floors with a minimalist scheme that is meant to reflect the elements of wood, water and fire, an open plan kitchen with Josper charcoal oven, a robata grill and a chef's table which is set to open later in the year. The watchword throughout the restaurant is nature - there's something eminently relaxing about the dining room, as if you're sitting in a tranquil patch of forest.

Chef Murata has put together a menu that hinges on Wagyu, a robustly marbled Japanese breed of beef that is almost inconceivably tender, its fat so deliquescent that it will melt at human body heat, as in on the tongue. Knowing that there was a fair portion of beef ahead of us, we began our meal with vegetable and fish dishes. A selection of tempura was likely the best we've had in London - prawns were pipped with schichimi and wasabi and smattered with salsify crisps. Fried lotus root was used to encase a prawn and whitefish filling, served with lemon, a ponzu sauce and a creamy yuzu dip.

For our mains we embarked upon a beefy odyssey, sampling miso marinated Joshu Wagyu ribeye, which was cooked to a ruby red medium rare and served alongside an onion salad. To be honest, it didn't need any accoutrements; letting the fat coat the interior of your mouth was enough, activating a sensational salivatory experience. We then enjoyed a chirashi bowl with precision cuts of raw fish and seafood that put us in mind of poke.

To finish, were were smitten with an apple tart tatin served with ginger ice cream. All in, we were very impressed by Tokimeitē. Highly recommended.