Kurobuta originally opened as a pop-up in Chelsea in autumn 2013, they then opened a second branch in Marble Arch and at the end of January this year, they moved to a permanent space on the Kings road which they are still in the process of expanding. Thank goodness as the small pop up was permanently fully booked and it was impossible to get a table!!
The chef Scott Hallsworth trained at Nobu and the food is Japanese with a twist.
I could have literally ordered the whole menu.
We started with crunchy rice senbei crisps with avocado jalapeño dip. These kick the s*** out of prawn crackers and I dont even like jalapeños! I can also recommend the edamame beans and next time I am trying the pork scratchings.
We then had the salmon gravadlax and avocado tartare with dill mayo, rice crunchies and fresh yuzu zest. I hadnt had this before and while it was very good, I probably wouldnt order it again as there was a bit too much mayonnaise for me and there is so much other great dishes on the menu.
One of my favourite parts of the menu is the Japanese junk food section. The tuna sashimi pizza with truffle ponzu, red onions and green chillies is divine - so fresh and crisp and a lot healthier than a dominoes!! Despite the chillies, it is not spicy at all.
Another dish that we adore is the beef fillet tataki with onion ponzu and garlic crisps. This is phenomenal - when I first tried this, I ordered seconds straight away!! Apparently the onion ponzu takes a week to make but the effort is definitely worth it. The beef is so tender and literally melts and the garlic crisps add so much flavour.
Next up was the BBQ pork belly with steamed buns and spicy peanut soy. These are to die for - I cant tell you how good these are (they are so amazing I took two photos). Once again the sauce is not spicy (I hate spice) but more sticky and sweet and the pork is cooked to perfection - it falls apart in your mouth.
I could have just ordered more and more pork belly til I burst!! However we then had the baby shrimp tempura with spicy mayo and warm ponzu dipping sauces. Writing this I have realised that we didnt receive the sauces, not that it mattered as we had soy sauce and these were delicious on their own - big juicy chunky prawns and very light fluffy batter. The best shrimp tempura Ive had in a very long time.
Seeing we were at a Japanese we had to have some maki rolls so we went for the spicy tuna maki rolled in tempura crunchies. Fantastic like everything else and not actually spicy.
We then ate the nasu dengaku; sticky miso grilled aubergine with sesame seeds. This isnt something I would normally order however a waitress recommended it on my first trip and I am so grateful she did - it is fabulous.
Finally we finished with the wagu beef sliders; steamed buns, crunchy onions, pickled cucumber and umami mayo. I would have previously said it is impossible for me to enjoy a burger without cheese….however Kurobuta have proved me wrong…these are unbelievable. The beef is cooked pink and so tender and with all the little extras, it tastes so good. My only complaint is the size - I want to supersize it!!
Unfortunately that was the end of the meal - we were tempted to order more but knew that was a little piglety (plus I still have quite a few Easter chocolates leftover).
I am not the only one to sing Kurobutas praises - last week it won the BMW Square Meal Award for Best New Restaurant (previously won by Zuma) and it has also been awarded the Opentable Diners Choice award for 2015.
The decor is cool, exposed brick and wires etc, the tables are pretty close together and the music is pretty noisy however none of that actually matters as the food is so frickin good. It is expensive but worth it. I want to go back there now!!
Kurobuta
312 Kings Road
London
SW3 5UH
Tel: 020 3475 4158
Email: info@kurobuta-london.com
0 comments:
Post a Comment