I am so glad to finally see Endo san in his own digs. I’ve been waiting 3 years since my first taste of Sushi Endo courtesy of @natsukipim‘s Hoxcup sake bar popup, and knew then that he had something very special to offer. I love his style, makes sure punters have fun, feel good and masks the fact that he’s got killer tekkers and products up his sleeve – true hospitality flows through his veins.
His menu doesn’t follow a strict Edomae sequence, in fact he starts with miso soup and diced 3-cut tuna and negi temaki before diving into nigiri. And there I was bowled over. To describe generally, Endo’s sushi is all about balance. The sushi opens bright, finishes clean, umami peaks just as the textures dissipate into soft luxuriousness.
To neta, gleaming ikejime Newlyn seabass (landed by Kernow) clean in flavour, and jelly-like in texture, served triple sliced; Ultra sweet English squid made with hundreds of cuts to fully tenderise; Scotch salmon smoked with Yamada-nishiki for 30s, more akin to subtle aburi than overt smoke, making the natural fish oil purr with savouriness. Served with a little taste of Shuhari Ultra made from the same rice, top drawer. The best was perhaps the scallop with Scherenkii – sweet, creamy briny umami, like Uni indeed!
The Shari is airy and creamy, with a harmonious salt-vinegar ratio. I didn’t ask for provenance, but inherent rice quality was clear. He tweaks the temperature of the Shari to suit each neta. Warmer for rich, body temp for white fish. No eyeballing, he fires his IR gun to check – theatrical precision.
On tuna, like his peers, Endo san uses Spanish farmed bluefin, based on a number of visits between late August and early November, he had procured lovely fish beginning to build up their fat reserves for the winter ahead. My last visit there in early November, Endo san presented akami from a 200+kg Spanish maguro which he -alongside his supplier- had selected, cut, aged over ice for six days and trimmed down to the core for service. I especially loved the chutoro, with fine strands of intramuscular marbling and a sweet flavour, foiled by the pure salt of his Shari. Expect no less from the Yokohama native with generational ties to the vaunted maguro.
The final bite, an ALC add-on (£6.5), was his humble seabream sandwich. All elements made from scratch with attention paid to the tiniest details. The tai is Cornish, and has been aged in kombu for a few days prior to being fried in panko. The tartare sauce made with pickled ginger and garlic, it is topped with last of Oz winter truffles and finally, his milk bread is made in house.
A banging meal all round. The charismatic Chef thoroughly deserves the limelight, his sensationally choreographed menu, a wonderful performance taking place across his lavish Hinoki counter top.
I am totally ecstatic for his well-deserved 🌟 he has earned for the 2020 guide. The dinner menu is far from cheap, weighing in at £185. It’s a ton of cash, but there is enough luxury products to justify it. Otoh, his lunch omakase, priced at £60 (+ ALC topups) offers great value. I’ve been there 4 times now, and I recommend you to start with the lunch. The menu is shorter, but all the major sushi pieces make an appearance (including the chutoro and the salmon), so you won’t feel like you missed out. If you do, you can still ALC a few extras pieces anyway. Make this your next destination.
Pictures from two recent visits there:
6 day aged tuna belly
Endo’s ‘business card’
A reflection of Endo san’s sushi heritage, his business card therefore is a temaki of 3 different cuts of tuna (Kama, toro and akami) and negi, warm nori (from same suppliers as Sushi Saito – but made to his own specs).
In-Season Cornish mackerel, English beets (including badger flames)
Aged cornish squid and soy
5 day aged monkfish tempura
Chutoro
Ikejime Southcoast seabass
Salmon smoked in Yamada-nishiki
Zuke Akami
A precious nigiri comprised of micro-seasonal and noble Autumn gear. Canadian matsutake, white truffle, aburi Spanish otoro and sudaichi zest. Absolutely top notch.
A4 Miyazaki wagyu
Homemade Sandwich. Kombu aged English tai, fried in panko wirh ginger garlic tartare sauce, last of Oz winter truffle and house made milk bread.
restaurant details: website , IG
I am so glad to finally see Endo san in his own digs. I’ve been waiting 3 years since my first taste of Sushi Endo courtesy of @natsukipim‘s Hoxcup sake bar popup, and knew then that he had something very special to offer. I love his style, makes sure punters have fun, feel good and masks the fact that he’s got killer tekkers and products up his sleeve – true hospitality flows through his veins.
His menu doesn’t follow a strict Edomae sequence, in fact he starts with miso soup and diced 3-cut tuna and negi temaki before diving into nigiri. And there I was bowled over. To describe generally, Endo’s sushi is all about balance. The sushi opens bright, finishes clean, umami peaks just as the textures dissipate into soft luxuriousness.
To neta, gleaming ikejime Newlyn seabass (landed by Kernow) clean in flavour, and jelly-like in texture, served triple sliced; Ultra sweet English squid made with hundreds of cuts to fully tenderise; Scotch salmon smoked with Yamada-nishiki for 30s, more akin to subtle aburi than overt smoke, making the natural fish oil purr with savouriness. Served with a little taste of Shuhari Ultra made from the same rice, top drawer. The best was perhaps the scallop with Scherenkii – sweet, creamy briny umami, like Uni indeed!
The Shari is airy and creamy, with a harmonious salt-vinegar ratio. I didn’t ask for provenance, but inherent rice quality was clear. He tweaks the temperature of the Shari to suit each neta. Warmer for rich, body temp for white fish. No eyeballing, he fires his IR gun to check – theatrical precision.
On tuna, like his peers, Endo san uses Spanish farmed bluefin, based on a number of visits between late August and early November, he had procured lovely fish beginning to build up their fat reserves for the winter ahead. My last visit there in early November, Endo san presented akami from a 200+kg Spanish maguro which he -alongside his supplier- had selected, cut, aged over ice for six days and trimmed down to the core for service. I especially loved the chutoro, with fine strands of intramuscular marbling and a sweet flavour, foiled by the pure salt of his Shari. Expect no less from the Yokohama native with generational ties to the vaunted maguro.
The final bite, an ALC add-on (£6.5), was his humble seabream sandwich. All elements made from scratch with attention paid to the tiniest details. The tai is Cornish, and has been aged in kombu for a few days prior to being fried in panko. The tartare sauce made with pickled ginger and garlic, it is topped with last of Oz winter truffles and finally, his milk bread is made in house.
A banging meal all round. The charismatic Chef thoroughly deserves the limelight, his sensationally choreographed menu, a wonderful performance taking place across his lavish Hinoki counter top.
I am totally ecstatic for his well-deserved 🌟 he has earned for the 2020 guide. The dinner menu is far from cheap, weighing in at £185. It’s a ton of cash, but there is enough luxury products to justify it. Otoh, his lunch omakase, priced at £60 (+ ALC topups) offers great value. I’ve been there 4 times now, and I recommend you to start with the lunch. The menu is shorter, but all the major sushi pieces make an appearance (including the chutoro and the salmon), so you won’t feel like you missed out. If you do, you can still ALC a few extras pieces anyway. Make this your next destination.
Pictures from two recent visits there:
6 day aged tuna belly
Endo’s ‘business card’
A reflection of Endo san’s sushi heritage, his business card therefore is a temaki of 3 different cuts of tuna (Kama, toro and akami) and negi, warm nori (from same suppliers as Sushi Saito – but made to his own specs).
In-Season Cornish mackerel, English beets (including badger flames)
Aged cornish squid and soy
5 day aged monkfish tempura
Chutoro
Ikejime Southcoast seabass
Salmon smoked in Yamada-nishiki
Zuke Akami
A precious nigiri comprised of micro-seasonal and noble Autumn gear. Canadian matsutake, white truffle, aburi Spanish otoro and sudaichi zest. Absolutely top notch.
A4 Miyazaki wagyu
Homemade Sandwich. Kombu aged English tai, fried in panko wirh ginger garlic tartare sauce, last of Oz winter truffle and house made milk bread.
Mr Kazutoshi with his tuna belly.