Kaiseki at @maru__london @yasuocha @taiji_maru 🇯🇵🇬🇧
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One of London’s best kaiseki restaurants. 10 seats and 22 impeccable courses. The team here is led by two very accomplished chefs, Yasuhiro Ochiai and Taiji Maruyama. Yasuhiro, previously head chef at 2 Michelin starred Tsukumo in Nara Japan now takes the lead at Maru and he’s incredibly skilled at what he does. The offering is a sort of hybrid kaiseki / omakase, with a farm-to-table approach that focuses on serving ingredients at the peak of their season. Lots of intricate small plates in and amongst the nigiri which creates a nice flow for the dinner. Nothing quite like watching the team craft and prepare each course in front of you. Some of my favourites included their homemade cold soba with truffle - chewy, light, fragrant and packed with umami. The ice bath aged squid with oscietra caviar was lovely too - a super unique texture to their squid which is so creamy compared to typical ika I’ve had before. Loved the 10-day dry-aged otoro - this was sliced and placed on a 45 degree Himalayan salt slab to very gently season and render the fat. An unbelievable texture to the otoro after hitting that stone for just a few seconds. Their Hasun is the main kaiseki basket, which comes with 5 small plates. The sweetcorn and peach palette cleanser from this was crazy. A super interesting pairing of ingredients - sweet, savoury and fresh with ultra ripe peach. To be honest it’s crazy to me that Maru doesn’t have a star yet - the attention to detail in every aspect of the restaurant, from the ambiance, serveware, drinks, food and post-dinner treats is so meticulous. It’s only a matter of time for these guys. Go before they get that 🌟! #notoriousfoodie 🙅🏽‍♂️
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#london #londonfood #omakase #sushi #caviar #mayfair #japanese #japanesefood #sashimi #nigiri #finedining #michelinguide #michelinstar #squid #sushilovers #kaiseki #japan