PR INVITE
One of the best things about writing a blog is that it has truly been a personal diary for me for the last ten years. When Mr S and I talk about something that we did in the past, if we can’t remember when it was or some of the finer details, I go back and check the blog. Back in 2016, before Oscar or Noah were born we took the most amazing trip to Japan… we always look back on this holiday as one of our best ever and I still have all the details of everywhere we went on my blog.
That year after feeling so inspired by our trip, I booked a very special restaurant for Mr S’s birthday. Michelin-starred UMU in Mayfair had an amazing reputation for being one of the best and most authentic Japanese restaurants in London. Fast forward to today and UMU will soon celebrate it’s 20th anniversary after upholding such as strong reputation particularly for the restaurant’s dedication to Kyoto cuisine.
The cuisine of Kyoto celebrates the philosophy of kaiseki which is a sequence of small, artistically arranged dishes with an emphasis on seasonal ingredients. We were absolutely delighted to be invited back to UMU eight years after we first visited this time to try their new Kaiseki summer menu.
Currently at the helm is Executive Chef Ryo Kamatsu who has a Argentinian-Japanese heritage and trained in the art of Kaiseki, at the prestigious two Michelin-starred Kaiseki Ichimonji in Tokyo. His new summer menu focusses on lighter dishes with Japanese and European summer vegetables. The emphasis being on sustainability and ethical sourcing using the best quality ingredients founded locally in the British Isles.
Our special dinner started with a glass of champagne each and as we were experiencing the Kaiseki menu we also had the option of choosing a wine or sake pairing. We both opted for wine and would be enjoying a selection curated by Head Sommelier Ryan Johnson, a Londoner with a passion for Japanese culture who has mastered the art of Sake service.
Our first wine, a Chardonnay from Oregon, was the accompaniment to the first course. The Mukozuke course was Cornish lobster, tokoroten, hasuimo, shiso. A delicate soup with beautifully prepared glass noodles.
Next up is Nimonowan (a simmered dish) which consisted of a fine clear soup with seabass, courgette and yuzu – very light and refreshing.
I won’t include every wine in this post as there were just too many but we definitely enjoyed so many different tasters with our incredible meal.
The Tsukuri course consisted of langoustine, red seabream and tuna – made and presented so beautifully and skillfully. This was my favourite course.
The Agemono (deep fried) course was still super light being the most delicate tempura batter – “Matsukasa” amadai tempura, sudachi.
Our Yakimono course was the most perfectly cooked Welsh lamb, smoked aubergine, gobo, pine nut miso.
And the Gohan rice dish was this beautiful scallop chazuke, tomato dashi.
The dessert was deliciously light celebration of seasonal vegetables known as ‘sweetcorn parade.’
We had the most incredible meal at UMU Mayfair. Not only were the food and wine pairings excellent but we had the most amazing service too.