Ginza Onodera, 15 Bury Street, London SW1Y 6AL - Telephone: 020 7839 1101
Despite having been around London for more years than I care to remember, the true testament to what a wonderful place it is, is that it still has the ability to surprise and delight me. I have always thought of the St James’ area as the place to be if you were visiting your London Club or the perfect place to pick up that bespoke suit or a selection of fine wines, as this is where many tailors and fine wine merchants are to be found, along with some very exclusive art dealers. But found amongst these high end shops, is an equally high end restaurant nestling in the back streets, going by the name of Ginza Onodera.
From the outside it doesn’t look that special, but that changes the moment you leave the cold London air and are confronted by a large granite sake bar separating a shiny black and white striped marble floor, resembling the most expensive zebra crossing in town!
The bar was stocked with a wonderful selection of sakes, but we resisted the temptation to stay upstairs sampling the wide range of sakes and cocktails, choosing instead to go down the stairs to the main restaurant.
This was like entering Dr Who’s Tardis, as the feeling of spaciousness was unexpected from a St James’ basement, as the clever use of mirrors and the lighting gives a lovely sense of space, along with a warm and welcoming feeling. The de´cor is high class and just what I suspect all the top restaurants in Japan look like, with the mirrors broken up by rich wood and a wall of Japanese family crests perfectly complementing the subtle light and dark grey furnishings contrasting the light oak tables. A large granite bar flanks the shiny metal of a state of the art teppanyaki station, dominating one end of the restaurant, alongside the Robata grill and the sushi station where the wondrously fresh sushi is prepared.
I am a true foodie and love all types of food, but I must confess that over the last couple of years I have started to love Japanese food more and more. This is because the food is light and wonderfully fresh and bursting with flavour. The offerings at Ginza Onodera are no different as they highlight all that is special about Japanese food with the occasional surprise.
Our evening started with Black Kanpachi Carpaccio (£15) and some Japanese Wagyu Dumplings (£18). The Black Kanpachi was not only a treat to the taste buds, it was also a true visual treat, as the wonderfully textured slices of Cobia arrived in a vibrantly coloured light truffle and citrus sauce offset by slices of truffle topped by small droplets of pomegranate. Cobia is a flavoursome fish, and the offset of the citrus with the sweetness of the pomegranate worked perfectly. The wagyu dumplings were rich and meaty, surrounded by a dumpling which was soft on the top and crispy on the bottom, merging taste and textures to stimulate a number of your senses at the same time. For our next course we chose one of our favourites, and I was not disappointed with the Prawn and Vegetable Tempura (£18). Large succulent prawns and seasonal vegetables were perfectly cooked and were all encased in a light and wonderfully crisp batter.
Before our main we opted for what is rapidly becoming another of my favourite dishes - sushi. The sushi chefs expertly prepare the sushi in an open station, and when you see the dishes you know you are in for a treat, as they are visually stunning. We chose the Spicy Tuna Roll (£9), Crunchy Spicy Prawn Roll (£10) and the Spider Roll (£11). The tuna was fresh and meaty and lightly spiced, and the Crunchy Spicy Prawn Rolls were packed with avocado and panka buttered prawns, all spiced with a touch of Worcestershire sauce and topped with a luxurious spicy mayonnaise. My favourite, however, were the Spider Rolls, where the crunchy deep fried softshell crab offset the sticky rice perfectly, all flavoured by the slightly sharp pickled baby carrots. This mix of flavours and textures in one mouthful is what I love the most about sushi.
Our final course before dessert was the Robata main course. Robata is actually a shortened version of robatayaki which literally means “fireside cooking”, and is style of cooking similar to barbecuing where food is cooked over hot coals in a flat open fireplace. The choice on the Robata is beef or seafood. The beef selection is wide ranging, including Kobe Beef (£130), which is one of ‘the big three beefs’, so valued because of its tenderness and fatty well marbled texture. I however, chose the Black Angus beef (£39) which, because of the way it was cooked, was lovely strips of crisp on the outside, succulent on the inside, melt in your mouth beef. My wife loves Blackened Cod, and so the choice of Canadian Black Cod Saikyo-Yaki (£38) was an obvious choice. Fish can easily be overcooked, especially on hot coals, and lose its flavour and moisture, but the fish here was cooked to perfection and the strong white flesh was matched by the sweetness and slight charcoal outer layer.
Despite such a feast we were still able to squeeze in a dessert, and we were grateful we did, as the Chocolate Gateau (£8) I had was nice and moist, and was served with a fresh raspberry ice cream. My wife had less room, and so chose a gooey and rich Chocolate Ice Cream and a crisp and fresh scoop of Lychee Sorbet (£6).
Ginza Onodera is a wonderful addition to the culinary offerings London has to offer, and provides high class food in high class surroundings and is well worth a visit.