A Royal Arcade away from the luxury-filled Old Bond Street, Taku on Albemarle Street is looking to attract a similar crowd for an exclusive omakase dining experience that’s touted to be the best in London.
Headed by Takuya Watanabe, founder and former head chef of Jin, the first omakase restaurant in Paris to receive a Michelin star, Taku serves only 16 guests at a time over the counter with either 17 dishes for 180 pounds during lunch, and, at night, 20 dishes for 280 pounds or 24 dishes on the 380 pound prestige menu, prepared in the traditional Edomae style.
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The outpost’s name refers to Japan’s Edo period, from 1603 to 1868 (Edo was also what Tokyo was formerly called). The nostalgic Edomae cooking method often involves curing ingredients in salt or vinegar, giving them a stronger flavor compared to modern Japanese cuisine.
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“Edomae style is really simple. Japanese people tend to like really simple stuff, but really the ingredients shine through,” Watanabe says via a translator.
It’s been a common practice among super high-end Japanese chefs to order ingredients straight from Tsukiji Fish Market in Tokyo in order to maintain that perceived authentic taste. But Watanabe prefers to build the menu, which is based on what he offered at Jin but with tweaks, using some of the freshest ingredients the British Isles have to offer.
“I just adjusted it a little bit according to the ingredients we get into our heads. In the future, I want to go down to Cornwall and Scotland where the fishermen are, and spend some time learning and getting some new inspirations about how to approach the fish,” Watanabe says.
Watanabe says he moved to London because he fell in love with the city and its energy. “The whole vibe of the atmosphere is very different compared to Paris because Paris is quite feminine as a place, while London is more masculine,” he says.
He also believes that he can bring a new burst of energy to the culinary scene in London.
“There are quite a few good omakase places in London, but none of them actually follow the traditional way in terms of how they serve the food and how they do the service. There is a real opportunity for me to bring the Edoame style over here,” Watanabe says.
The Taku venture is backed by the London-based Leong brothers Geoff and Lucas, whose family owns the popular soup dumpling specialist Dumplings Legend and Taiwanese food-focused Leong’s Legend in Chinatown.
“We have always wanted to push the boundary of the U.K.’s perception of Asian food through the creativity of our chefs and we will be applying this same ethos to Taku,” says Geoff Leong.
Lucas recalls being blown away by Watanabe’s dishes when he visited Jin for lunch in 2021.
“In my perspective any good sushi chef can make good sushi, but what separates the good from the best are the refined details in each piece. Watanabe’s rice is unique to him, as it consists of his own vinegar and salt composition. Each piece of sushi is crafted with the perfect rice, vinegar to salt ratio and his own blend of soy sauce, making his sushi distinctive and memorable,” he says.
“After chatting we formed a friendship — this is when the idea for Taku began,” Lucas Leong says.
Taku is open Tuesday to Saturday each week, and offers one lunch serving, and two dinner servings a day. Reservations are required, and the booking system opens three months in advance.