Kikuchi is a Japanese restaurant at 14 Hanway Street in Fitzrovia. Executive chef Masayuki Kikuchi leads an intimate evening service focused on traditional technique, carefully sourced seafood and close attention to seasonality. Diners can order individual dishes or choose an omakase tasting menu that allows the chef to shape the progression of the meal.
Appetisers include seasonal pickles, spinach prepared with sesame, edamame and vinegared mozuku seaweed with grated yam. Chawanmushi pairs delicate steamed savoury egg custard with red prawn. Sea bass and turbot can be served with ponzu, while sea bream is matched with yuzu miso. Fried okra, aubergine with sweet miso and crisp soft shell crab broaden the textures at the table.
Sashimi is offered as a chef’s selection or by variety, with tuna, fatty tuna, salmon, yellowtail and sea bream among the choices. Sushi can be ordered as a composed selection with miso soup, individual nigiri or rolls filled with tuna, salmon, eel and cucumber. Special nigiri highlights seared fatty tuna and combinations of tuna, spring onion and flying fish roe.
Hot dishes include black cod marinated in Saikyo miso, salted yellowtail collar and tempura made with prawns, vegetables or both. The seasonal omakase moves through two appetisers, sashimi, a warm dish, selected sushi, miso soup and dessert. This measured sequence offers the clearest expression of Kikuchi’s style, while the à la carte menu lets returning diners build a meal around preferred fish and preparations.
Address: 14 Hanway Street, Fitzrovia, London W1T 1UD, United Kingdom