Ginza St James, London

Matsuri had been London's premier destination for high quality teppanyaki for over two decades, serving out 23 years of excellent flash fried fodder in St James. However, this being one of the world's best cities to eat, it came time for a little reinvention and in comes the Onodera Group to transform it into their jewel in the crown. Situated on Bury Street just next to Quaglino's, guests can expect a similar staircase descent into a beautiful haven of Japanese food, headed up by chef Ryosuke Kishi, who trained at Grand Hyatt Tokyo and stays on from Matsuri.

The dining room is suitably chic for St James, with a very svelte monochromatic colour scheme; a statement bar overhung with crystal glasses from an iron gantry; and an opulent wine display showcasing the very best of Burgundy, Bordeaux and Barolo (not to mention the best malts from Scotland and Japan). Otherwise, they've eschewed the teppanyaki stations in favour of a robata grill, a marble sushi bar and a single teppanyaki bar. For the reclusive types, there are a few intimate private dining rooms attached that will certainly impress your guests.

Mr Kishi does an admirable job in the kitchens, martialling an army of talented chefs to create pitch perfect dishes. Food writers have been raving about the cactus fed turbot marinated in kelp and bottarga and sprinkled with fragrant hojiso. We didn't realise that feeding flatfish desert plantlife was a thing, but were quickly converted after a bite of the starter. For something a little more conventional, the tempura hits the mark with a gracile delicacy in the batter that found a beautiful foil in the pink flesh of a prawn.

The sushi will please even the most exacting itamae, however we recommend you spend some time in the 'Specialities' section of the menu, where you'll find the Japanese Wagyu Menchi Katsu, which is essentially panko breaded beef mince deep fried and servd with a Japanese demiglace. It is obscene as it sounds. Otherwise, for those with a predilection for the grill, the robata is perfect for searing beef to bloody perfection, and does a magical job with the black cod.

We rounded off our meal with an excellent dram of Nikka Coffey malt and matcha green tea fondant that married harmoniously. All in, Ginza Onodera has all of the fixings to contend one of London's top Japanese restaurants. 

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