Japan's greatest chef comes to London
Being the man with the most Michelin stars in the country with the most Michelin stars either makes you a) very good at selling tyres, or b) Yoshihiro Murata, who's bringing his globally peerless skills to London with Chrysan, opening tomorrow courtesy of the folks behind Hakkasan. With plain wooden floors underscoring a sleek black ceiling, its minimalist decor projects 21st-century temple-like elegance, following the head man's tongue-pleasing philosophy of traditional-meets-contemporary
Murata gives his Japanese local colour in the form of a Scottish lobster hotpot cooked in a dashi broth ("Scotland Meets Kyoto", though for some reason it's not deep-fried and served with chips); "British Navy stew" (ox tail slow-cooked in Guinness); and a 35-day dry-aged Angus rib-eye covered in Mongolian soy, with yuzu egg yolk dipping sauce on the side. There's a little continental flavour too, with parsnip & duck foie gras floating in dashi soup, and grilled mackerel treated to a "grand slam of umami": a David Nalbandian-free medley of sake & saffron risotto, bonito flakes, parmesan shavings, and truffle slices.
As with Hakkasan, there is a drinker, a beautifully lit, spartan stool-sitter called the NeNe bar where you'll find a TBC list of "unique" (and safe to assume tasty) cocktails, as well as some "lighter dishes", for those with tyres to spare.