Having experienced NAKIMUSHI on its fifth day of being open, we’re genuinely impressed by what the team has done with this beautiful three-story townhouse on the border of Notting Hill and Kensington. We rarely spend our time on new openings because invariably the team is still working out service and quality issues, but NAKIMUSHI feels like it’s been open a year.
It comes from the team behind London’s Dorian and Eel Sushi Bar, by way of a long ramen residency at Supermarket of Dreams, which could explain why it feels like the team and quality are in such a good place already. The concept is split over two floors. Downstairs is the ramen bar, with a remarkably small open kitchen and communal seating. Upstairs is a small room and bar where the ramen comes in smaller portions as part of a broader dinner menu, sitting alongside a selection of more refined of small plates and two changing sharing plates.
We started with two of their signature cocktails. The Sakura Martini was a light pink twist on a classic martini, recalling the country’s famous blossoms. The Green Light was an exquisite twist on a pisco sour, made with samphire and green Chartreuse, and was our favourite of the two.
Our server suggested that the two best cold starters were the vegetable ohitashi, a salad the components of which come from an organic farm near Brighton, and the wild hamachi with yukari ponzu and nori oil. The sauce on the hamachi was so good that we kept the bowl on the table and saved what was left to season our rice later.
Corn tempura with fig leaf salt came next. The sweet, light, and faintly green tasting morsels were solidly in our top three dishes of the evening. We also tried the chicken karaage and the quail tempura with apricot purée, which was undoubtetly the was the dish of the night. The quail was crisp and rich, slightly pink in the center, with the apricot providing a subtle sweetness and grilled greens adding a smoky layer.
The fish of the day was beautiful piece of brill steamed in a red vinegar sauce that reminded us of an extremely light miso glaze. For ramen, our son chose the Scottish lobster and seafood paitan with sobrassada. The dinner portion was just enough for all three of us to experience it fully without being stuffed. The sobrassada is a clever addition, giving the broth a warm, slightly smoky depth that the lobster and paitan on their own would not achieve. It reminded us of the richest bouillabaisse you could imagine without the saffron and much more spice.
The wine list is quite impressive, featuring some really interesting bottles (especially white Burgundy) and a full page of Sake. We immediately spotted a bottle of Domaine Robert-Denogent Pouilly-Fuissé “La Croix”. We have been enjoying their “Sardines” bottling for years, which is relatively unfussy, but the “La Croix,” made from old vines, was spectacular. Highly mineral, natural Chardonnay with real salinity on the finish, and it sang with every dish, from the hamachi through to the ramen.
With dessert the sommelier offered us a lovely sake rather than a sweet wine. We do not enjoy sweet wine, so this was a genuinely good call and the better pairing by far.
NAKIMUSHI offers bookings for either floor — the downstairs ramen bar or upstairs restaurant — so you can choose your own adventure. Stop in downstairs for a bowl of ramen at the counter on a chilly winter weeknight, or head upstairs for a date night or evening out with friends.
Note: NAKIMUSHI provided support for the reporting of this story.