In our experience, restaurants around Knightsbridge tend to be underwhelming and overpriced, catering mostly to London tourists. Dinings SW3 pleasantly surprised us with its stunning Japanese food served in a sophisticated yet cozy setting, just steps from Harrods.
Dinings SW3 is a luxury experience, but one that makes sense for the location and price point. It has much more of a local vibe and we’re especially eager to return in the summer when their beautiful terrace is open. In the winter, you can’t go wrong with one of the downstairs cozy window seats. The restaurant is arranged around an open kitchen, and the cabinets of gorgeous crystal decanters and glassware make it clear that this is not your average sushi restaurant.
We entrusted our cocktails to the server, with the request that they not be sweet. The perfectly crisp winter cocktails like the Slow & Grapefruit 75 and Apple & Elderflower Martini did not disappoint.
We chose the omakase menu and allowed ourselves to be pleasantly surprised with course after course that rivaled the best ramen shops and sushi ateliers in town. Our menu started with A5 Japanese Wagyu beef crispy tacos, which were at the same time rich and refreshing. The chicken udon noodles were spectacular, and the Wagyu beef mini burgers were a favorite. The British apple dessert reminded us of the best tarte tatins we’ve ever tasted.
We were especially intrigued by the sommelier’s sake suggestions and appreciated his in-depth explanations of the regional and stylistic differences in the ones we tasted. We also appreciated that the fish served is all responsibly sourced, primarily from suppliers in the British isles. We were sent home with a jar of Dinings’ own umami chili oil that we’ve been using at home unsparingly,
We recently had friends in town who went and also had a great experience, so if you’re looking for a quality restaurant in Chelsea, Dinings SW3 would be a great option. They also has no corkage on Sunday and Monday, so if you’re interesting in experiencing their fabulous menu alongside your own special bottle, this is your chance.
Note: Dinings SW3 provided support for the reporting of this story.