Kiri Restaurant Review: Modern Japanese Cooking and Sake Heaven in Mayfair

When it comes to food in London, the strangest areas of it are usually the ones changing the most. The far stretches of East London once known for chicken burgers and chips has become a mecca for some of the best restaurants in the UK. Chelsea, once upon a time was leading the way with its food but after being flooded with old school Italians, it sadly disappeared off the gastronomic grid – but now it’s back with a vengeance. One area seeming like it was always going to be stuffy and overpriced was Mayfair – but even this part of town has started to become cool and trendy – well slowly anyway. The newest kid on the Mayfair block is Kiri. A fantastic, modern Japanese restaurant on the former site of Gigi’s on Woodstock Street.

Apart from the food, one of the most exciting things about Kiri is its Sake selection. It won’t be the stuff you pick up in Whole Foods Market, but quality brands, generally from small production parcels. They even have a good selection of Ume Shu for those wanting something a little sweeter. We sat underneath the Sake ceiling and delved into a cold, quality Red Label Junmai – incredibly easy to drink, smooth and a little sweet on the finish.

The food here at Kiri is all about sharing and while everyone in London loves the concept, I don’t – because when the food is as good as it is here, you’ll simply want it all to yourselves. The first dish we ate here turned out to be one of my favourites too – apple smoked tuna tataki in a delicious onion sauce. Fresh and loads of flavour. Another must order is the sweet potato croquettes with wasabi mayo. Perfectly crunchy and the wasabi nicely heating up the back of the throat. Sliced octopus with a truffle sauce was another lovely dish, but it had nothing over that outstanding tuna we delved into just a few bites before.

We then freshened up our palate with a fantastic can of Niigata beer and two rather lovely seafood dishes. The mixed seafood ceviche, as it was described on the menu was more salad than ceviche – but flavour wise it was absolutely stunning. The citrus and ponzu running through it was heavenly and all of the seafood was as fresh as could be. Even the occasional coriander leaf was great. I loved the plate of crispy battered squid tentacles too – the batter had so much flavour and just the right amount of crumbly coating, which encased each tentacle preparing it for dunking into the side of mushroom sauce.

One caution I will advise about a visit to Kiri – is you’ll need your credit card. Not because it’s expensive, but because you will want to try just about everything on the menu and it’s not even that long. That’s what I like about this place, they haven’t produced a dizzyingly long menu, but instead listing just right amount to focus careful attention on each plate of food – such as the wagyu beef tataki. Lovely slithers of thinly sliced wagyu steak, smothered in a zesty ponzu sauce. Better still, if that was at all possible – was the rock shrimp tempura with a spicy mayo. Beautifully cooked, perfectly light batter and the mayo had just the right balance of spice to it.

Even the vegetable dishes were good. The Kiri special house vegetable salad, full of carrots, greens and a lovely house dressing was fantastic, but one dish in particularly was worth ordering a second helping of – the aubergine. Plump, blackened chunks of aubergine, drenched in a miso glaze and sprinkled with spring onion and sesame seeds. It really is as good as it sounds.

When you think you couldn’t possibly eat any more food here at Kiri – the body tells you otherwise. The food is so enticing you just can’t help yourself. Grilled rabbit skewers were lovely – though a little like chicken if I’m honest. Best was the succulent grilled wagyu strips. Moist, tender and smokey. There was nothing bad here at Kiri at all in terms of food, but one dish I felt needed a little work was the kimchee fried rice with Japanese mushroom and fried egg. Something about it just didn’t quite entice me and I couldn’t put my finger on exactly what it needed to do just that.

Desserts were stunning. Especially if you’re a matcha fan. I never used to be but Kiri really have converted me, especially when paired and washed down with some delicious sweet plum wine. Before getting in to the matcha business we delved into a heavenly chocolate pot with a rich and buttery biscuit on the side – perfect for smearing the thick chocolate paste onto. The match cheesecake really was as good as it looked and the scoop of homemade matcha ice cream and black sesame meant for a fantastic ending to our meal.

We had such a lovely evening at Kiri and I really couldn’t recommend it any more highly. The service is spot on, the dining room has a fantastic vibe, the food is affordable and most importantly – it’s all delicious. If you’re looking for a Japanese restaurant with a modern, Izakaya edge to in then you’ll love this place – not to mention the extensive list of Sake on offer. Kiri is here to stay and I look forward to seeing it grow.