Tom finds Japanese food that is perfect in a new Japanese restaurant. The wait is worth it.
Cornish king crab is served entangled in a brown meat jelly that intensifies that ‘crustacean allure’
Pure and pure. Two words that encapsulate Maru, a new omakase (or ‘we do the choosing, mate’) restaurant hidden away in the back streets of Mayfair’s Shepherd Market. It’s there in the six seats at the immaculate blonde wood bar; the gleaming fridges, where various cuts of fish are artfully dry-aged to intensify their taste; the ceramics, cool and austere, many made by chef proprietor Taiji Maruyama; his flashing blades, and the economy with which he wields them. Even his thick, glossy hair was piled high.
The food, too. With the exception of the tuna, almost everything is sourced in Britain. Maruyama is able to extract the most extraordinary flavours from every course by coaxing, tease and flattering them. All 20 of them. Many of them are little more than a mouthful nigiri sushi, passed from one hand to the other; a lozenge otoro, which is the fattiest part the tuna belly, the warm, whisperingly vinegared rice, each grain plump, and the fish deliriously abundant.
‘Five-day ice-bath-aged cuttlefish and Exmoor caviar nigiri’ is richer still, like Poseidon’s roar, a stirring symphony of piscine tastes and textures; sea urchin (from Iceland) that combines lascivious filth with perfumed poise; the startling purity of the Cornish ‘red vinegar cure’ mackerel. And a ‘nine-day dry-aged Balfego tuna tamaki’, all crisp smoky nori, soft rice and cool, profoundly flavoured flesh of the deepest red.
It’s not just raw fish. There’s a neat pile of Cornish king crab, sweet as young love, entangled in a brown meat jelly that intensifies that crustacean allure. Clear cockle soup has a hint of fennel and a pinch of pepper. Lobster and summer truffle ‘chawan mushi’ custard is so light it almost floats. Yet, it still growls with umami depth.
All this joy comes with a price. £170 per head, to be precise, plus an extra £85 for the excellent sake pairings. We had to book months ahead (well, Giles did), and sat down to dinner at 5.30pm. A later sitting is available at 8.30pm. It’s not the place for our usual scurrilous gossip either.
Still, in a town where people will pay £850 for a hunk of cow wrapped in gold foil, served up by a human salt cellar, Maru doesn’t just offer value. It is a source of joy, inspiration, and pure culinary art.
Maru, 18 Shepherd Market London W1; marulondon.com
Drinks: Olly’s Halloween fizz
I’ve always found Halloween about as much fun as bunion surgery: too much noise, lurid novelty tat and grown-ups being weird. Instead, I declare it a festival for fizz. I will be popping corks all around the globe and embracing the party spirit my own way. Once all the early evening nonsense is over, the party can start and we can all join together in a kitchen disco.
WINE OF THE WEEK Veuve Monsigny Brut NV (12.5%), £13.49, Aldi. Amazing value for a rich zinger that will turn fright night into fun central.
Pizzolato Organic & Vegan Prosecco NV (11%), £10, Co-Op. You will find vitality and fun here. A zesty bubbly that doesn’t break the bank.
Cave de Lugny Crémant de Bourgogne Blanc de Blancs NV (11.5%), £13.99, Waitrose. This hidden gem of joy is white peach brilliance with a savoury layer.
Black Chalk Classic 2017 (12%), £34, The Wine Society. Precise as a lemon bull’s-eye on the dartboard of dreams, this is sharp English splendour.
Champagne Delamotte Blanc de Blancs NV (12%), £50.95, corneyand barrow.com. My inside tip to top Champagne for the best in fine, elegant fizz