If you wander north from Piccadilly Circus into Soho, might I suggest you turn into Denman Street where you will find an exceptionally funky new Japanese temaki bar. Named Kumori, head chef John Randy De Guzman is a man who’s earned his stripes including 10 years at Nobu, and here they specialise in rolls of warm rice, cool fish and crisp nori, known as handroll.
The design-led approach means that every element from counters to stools and hanging fabrics has been designed bespoke by architectural collective Cake. With thirty covers along two bars, one can choose between watching the chef in action in the kitchen or the world go by out the window. A magenta light casts its hue over the hanging fabric decoration, raising the heat, while the music is equally energetic.
The carefully curated presentation doesn’t stop there, though. Each place setting consists of a simply printed menu upon which you check each dish you want with a cute stubby pencil. And for soy sauce you are provided an individual brown dropper-bottle for maximum precision.
At the heart of the menu, the handroll is distinguishable from ordinary sushi for being made just before eating. They use a thicker gauge of nori to wrap the rice in to ensure it retains its crunch that bit longer, so they should be devoured with haste.
Starting off with a spicy mescal margarita, it gave smoke, citrus and a nice afterglow. Presented around a big cube of ice, it’s as good as any. Asahi by the bottle is delivered with an elegantly fluted highball, and the same aesthetic attention is applied to the plates, each perfect for the dish they carry and equally handsome once empty.
Our genuine Japanese waitress suggested we choose two ‘light’ dishes and five from the main menu each, which makes up a decent dinner. The dishes arrive in no particular order the moment they are ready, which is quite fun. Pretty much the only thing to arrive in a bowl, Cucumber nori salad in a sweet vinegar is fab and I should have ordered two.
There’s plenty of variety of sushi styles, including nigiri where the fish is flamed atop its bed of rice, but the stars of the show are definitely the handrolls. The size of a sausage roll, there’s only one way to eat them- in the hand and head-on. Some are rolled in nori, others in a pale, sesame coated soy-paper. Theres even an Unagi foie gras, comprising freshwater eel and the controversial ‘French butter’(naughty and nice). You can even add a bump of caviar for £15.
Something a bit special, the padrón peppers in a teriyaki-style sauce receive a healthy scattering of katsuobushi – paper-like bonito flakes that the Japanese use as a lightly salty condiment. It’s a great combo.
By this stage you’d think you have run out of room, but trust me, no you haven’t. The mochi in mango and black sesame are small, squishy and yum.
The whole evening was a revelation – I had not eaten sushi in ages and this was top-drawer, delivered with integrity in abundance. Soho is a cool, frantic place where time is scarce and expectations run high. And Kumori fits right in.
Kumori can be found at 26 Denman Street, London, W1D 7HX – reservations@kumorirestaurant.com – @kumorihandroll
Opening Hours: Mon – Wed 12–4 pm, 5:30–10:30 pm; Thu – Sat 12–4 pm, 5:30–11 pm and Sun 12–4 pm, 5:30–10 pm
Bookings accepted, walk-ins welcome
https://kumorirestaurant.com/
