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In Japan, this week Marine Day: the nation’s newest national holiday – recognised since 1996 – takes place, and is a day to celebrate the bounty of the island’s surrounding seas.
Back in London, the finest way to mark the occasion has to be with a table at Aqua Kyoto, to experience their dedicated Marine menu. Developed by Head Chef Paul Greening, the dishes delve deep into the abundance of the Japanese ocean, presenting sustainably sourced favourites alongside unexpected flavours and very innovative twists.
Our experience begins with a Sea Stone martini – a crisp fusion of coconut water, vodka and violet with a sharp sting of absinthe – created by bar manager Luca Missaglia. Light and fragrant, this is the ideal complement to the Omakase sashimi that follows shortly after. The perfect opening course, it arrives over ice, with sinus-clearing wasabi and delicate caviar. Another starter to try is the Unagi makizushi: eel and Cornish crab rolls, wrapped tightly in butara kombu seaweed.
Choosing a main course from the three options on the menu is no easy feat. But if you try just one, make it the black cod – a buttery soft fish, prepared theatrically on the open sumibiyaki grill, and complemented perfectly by a sprinkle of kombu caviar and Greening’s own yuzu curd, which has the smoothness of a mayonnaise and the tangy sweetness of citrus fruit. This was unequivocally the best black cod we’ve come across in London ─ an accolade which doesn’t come lightly.
After a perfectly-timed interlude – the team here make it brilliantly easy to slip into a luxuriating, evening-long dinner – we end with a little indulgence. Kyoto’s take on the chocolate fondant is anything but ordinary: intense black sesame and salty kombu make for a rich, earthy flavour, which is lifted by the almost-bitter twang of a green matcha ice-cream.
We end the evening as we began: taking in the stunning view on Kyoto’s newly-refreshed terrace (designed in collaboration with designer Marios Schwab,) another Sea Stone martini clutched in our hands.
by Roberta Lister
Aqua Kyoto 5th Floor, 240 Regent Street (Entrance 30 Argyll Street)
London, UK W1B 3BR
For reservations tel: 0207 478 0540
Aqua Kyoto’s Marine Menu is available until Saturday August 28, 2015, at lunch from Monday-Saturday, dinner Monday-Thursday and pre-theatre (5.30pm-7pm) Friday and Saturday. To book online, click here.