REVIEW: Kouzu, Grosvenor Gardens, Belgravia

It’s been a while since I’ve had a good, solid meal out in London (really I mean a month or two). I eat out almost daily and the inevitable fact that I run into bad meals is common, although with the level of cooking in London at the moment, it’s surprisingly not so hit and miss like it was a few years ago. Chefs are becoming much more serious in their kitchens and diners are demanding a rise in not only creativity, but well sourced produce. The new Kouzu encompasses all of that and have created an almost faultless experience which is only going to get better. Take this glass of prosecco for example, topped with a peach espuma (mousse like), it’s simple but perfectly executed and all I wanted was more. I should have really asked who’s responsible for creating such a delicious beverage, but I didn’t. I can however tell you that the head chef here is a gentlemen named, Kyoichi Kai – he previously worked for the likes of Zuma and The Arts Club. With this talented chefs experience, he’s now managed to create something in this part of Belgravia, which is very special indeed.

One thing to remember when booking here at Kouzu, is trying your hardest to reserve a table on the bar area upstairs, facing towards the sushi kitchen. Watching these master sushi chefs roll, mould, blowtorch and brush truffle oil on to pieces of sushi such as this aburi yellowtail nigiri, will add so much pleasure to your dining experience. Not only will you be absolutely starving, watching food pass by your eyes ever minute, but you’ll get to see all the hard work that actually goes into something, which looks relatively simple, but which is actually far from it. Flavour wise it doesn’t get much better than this. The fish was so fresh it quite literally melted in the mouth, almost like a piece of foie gras would. Torched to perfection and on a bed of excellent sushi rice, well I was lost for words, apart from – more please.

I really don’t eat sushi that often if I’m honest. It’s not because I don’t like it (I love it), but for whatever reason I don’t book myself in to enough Japanese restaurants. I’ve also got the added problem of I simply don’t quite know enough about it, to recommend it to you. Despite me not reviewing much in the way of Japanese food, I’ve still eaten my fair share and the sushi here at Kouzu – is some of the best I’ve had. The sushi rice was perfect for one. It wasn’t clumpy or overly sticky, but instead light, yet with enough moisture to hold everything together nicely. These Californian rolls were a mixture of crab, avocado, cucumber, ichimi pepper, mayonnaise and tobikko (that’s the fish roe). Apologies for this graphic descriptor – but I was literally salivating over this dish. A must order for those of you that make it here.

One part of the menu was titled, new stream sashimi. I’m not entirely sure what it was meant to give away, but I took it to meaning – modern. And in fact we weren’t far off, as two of the dishes we ordered weren’t particularly flooding with Japanese authenticity, but more fusion in style. If you haven’t seen me with a pair of chopsticks yet too, that’s something you can perhaps look forward to some day – I’m useless. Slices of beef (tataki in Japanese) had been char-grilled fillet whole prior to slicing and was served in an oriental juice with a topping of julienne salad. I’m not entirely sure what the oriental sauce was, but I got soy, ginger and something a little zesty from it. Unknown sauce or not, it was still beautiful. The meat was perfectly soft and each mouthful was a delight to eat.

A little on the pricey side was this marinated black cod with miso, fennel and a celery salad. Priced at £28 it’s certainly a treat and not the largest in terms of portion size, but this type of fish always commands a high price. Why, you ask? Well it probably has something to do with its delicate flavour, skin which crisps up to an irresistible crunch and its flesh so tender, that picking up its soft, slender chunks with a pair of chop sticks is near impossible. The citrus element perhaps needed a little tweaking, as it didn’t feel quite tart enough but I still enjoyed it and I challenge anyone to say any different.

We were rather enjoying most of the food here at Kouzu, but despite all the good food we had so far, one dish in particular stood out. Roasted baby chicken with chili sauce and pickled vegetables. The bird was covered in a lovely crunchy coating, revealing some of the best and most succulent chicken I have ever eaten. It truly was a stunning plate of food. The slightly tart, thick chili sauce was mouth watering and that sharpness from the salad only added even more acidity to this plate of food. At £22 it wasn’t the cheapest around but you get two things from it, enough for two to share (although you won’t want to) and one of the best things you’ll have eaten in 2015, fact.

One thing Japanese restaurant generally don’t do well, is desserts. I’m not against the usual glutinous puddings they serve up, but my sweet tooth always craves for so much more than something which cloys in the mouth. So when I saw some artfully presented desserts flying out of the kitchen, I got a little excited. A perfect sphere of chocolate mousse, covered in a rich and dark casing. Candied orange was great for a good hit of flavour and texture, but the yuzu syrup oozing out from the inside was the icing on the cake. I’m not saying this was the best dessert I’ve ever eating, but as Japanese restaurants go – this was blooming marvellous stuff.

In all the excitement and decadence our meal gave us, I completely forgot exactly what we finished up on, but I can tell you that all its banana goodness, lashings of caramel and layers of biscuit base were the perfect way to finish our meal. Kouzu was a great find in this part of town. Only a stones throw from Victoria, it’s about this time part of London got an upgrade in its restaurants. Is Kouzu here to stay? Of course it is. This is certainly on my one to watch list and I can’t wait to come back. Book a table now, before reservations become near impossible.

8/10