The best restaurants in Mayfair

Hidden behind an unassuming door in the heart of Mayfair, is one of the best luxury omakase experiences that London has to offer. Taku, led by chef patron Takuya Watanabe, opened in early 2023, and earned a Michelin star just a few months after. The restaurant’s interior, decked out in wood and uneven, natural stone tiles on the wall, is calming and pared back, allowing the beautifully presented food to draw all the attention. The single counter that stretches around the kitchen seats just 16 at either its 6pm or 8.30pm sitting, which makes for an intimate experience where the team, including head chef Long Ng, are able to talk us through each course and the provenance of the fish. On our visit, we tried the 20 course signature menu which is priced at £300 per person – the 17 course lunch menu is more affordable at £160, or at the other end, the ‘prestige’ menu containing additional courses and even more premium ingredients, is available in the evening for £400 per head. The prices are undoubtedly high, but Taku is somewhere to come to experience Japanese fine dining on a very special occasion, rather than a casual dinner with friends.

The dishes presented to us, so meticulously assembled that they resembled tiny works of art, included such delicious combinations as tuna tartare with pickled mushrooms and topped with caviar, or abalone risotto with a mushroom foam and black truffle. Following this was a grilled course of cod, and then several nigiri courses. The menu changes regularly, depending on the fish that is sourced each day and new dishes that have been developed by the team, but on our visit the sushi that we were served included scallop, Scottish lobster, trout from Hampshire, oyster from Iceland, 10-day aged Spanish amberjack and tuna belly. For optimal taste and freshness, we were encouraged to eat the sushi as quickly as possible after it was presented in front of us, so precisely kept is the temperature of the fish and rice.

We tried two very different sakes throughout the meal, both of which paired wonderfully with the food. The first was a lightly cloudy sake from Fukushima, served chilled, followed by an intense, sweet sake, that was served warm with a little sugar. There were three separate elements to the dessert. First was a palate cleansing, intensely fruity shaved ice, followed by Japanese whisky flavoured ice cream served with delicate, wafer-like biscuits and black truffle, and concluding with a petit four of apple tart. By way of the ‘chef’s choice’ nature of omakase, we went in completely blind to what the menu would include, and it was a delight to be continually surprised by the 20 exciting, creative dishes that appeared like magic throughout the evening. – Tilly Wheeler

Address: 36 Albemarle Street, London, W1S 4JE
What to order: The signature menu with sake recommended by the sommelier.