Last Updated on August 21, 2025
A Kyoto Kaiseki experience in Mayfair
Michelin-starred, Japanese restaurant Umu is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. Led by Executive Chef, Ryo Kamatsu, Umu specialises in Kyoto cuisine, known in Japan as Kyo-ryori. One of the joys of eating in Kyoto is partaking in a kaiseki meal which has its origins in the city and where this art form is revered and exquisitely executed. I was curious to experience how kaiseki would transfer to Mayfair, especially considering that Chef Kamatsu trained at the 2 Michelin-starred Kaiseki Ichimonji in Tokyo. Having been invited to review the new Summer menu at Umu, I was immediately transported in my mind back to my experiences of kaiseki meals in Kyoto. The concept of seasonality is taken so seriously in kaiseki cuisine, that not only do the menus change according to the seasons, but they are different each week or month according to what ingredients are at their peak in any moment of the year.
From the street outside, the restaurant on Bruton Place is understated and this is typical of Kyoto where the kaiseki restaurants I ate at had a wonderful Zen-type atmosphere along with tiny shrines outside and mini Zen gardens. Once inside, I found that Umu had an upmarket décor, very fitting for its neighbourhood, with low lighting and beautifully mirrored walls. Behind the entrance desk there was a stunning table made of logs and the theme of beautiful wood ran throughout with the scalloped wooden countertop bar being just an outstanding example.
The countertop is, to my mind, the best seat in the house in Japanese restaurants with the chefs performing their culinary magic right in front of you. We were seated at one of the wooden tables on a comfortable banquette, but I made sure that I was facing the chefs so I could keep an eye on the proceedings.
Kaiseki is the pinnacle of haute cuisine in Japan. It is a multicourse meal that follows a set order and is an introduction not only to the technical skill of the chefs but also an insight into Japanese reverence for seasonality, ingredients, cooking methods, colour, texture and much else that comprises this style of cooking. In Japan, I learned to eat with my eyes and to listen with my tastebuds. The dishes that are served in a kaiseki meal are often new to Western palates and those who pay close attention will find depth in the subtle flavours. The presentation is exquisite and adds much pleasure to the experience of the meal.
The menu follows certain principles. Above all is seasonality – not simply the four seasons, but even the month or week in which certain ingredients reach their peak. No detail is too small, with each item of crockery only being used according to season and the seasonal theme running through every item down to the patterns on the plates. The array of courses presents food that has been cooked in a set style of cooking methods – steamed, grilled, fried and so on and each dish will have a number of textures and colours included.
Being a Michelin-starred restaurant there was a high staff-to-diner ratio and we had the services of a sommelier as well as a waiter throughout the evening. Both were very informative and took care to explain the details of what we ate and drank. My companion chose the sake pairing while I selected the non-alcoholic pairing. As in Japan, the sake pairing begins with lighter brews and culminates with full-bodied sakes, served warm. Having experienced this as a sake novice in Japan, a sake pairing at a kaiseki meal is a wonderful education. The non-alcoholic pairing included a number of cocktails from the non-alcoholic cocktail menu which meant that a few of the drinks were a tad sweet for the dish they were paired with. Home-brewed kombuchas would, along with the teas that were offered as part of the pairing, would make excellent accompaniments.
On being seated we were presented with the cocktail menu. I selected a non-alcoholic Yuzu and tonic which was a most refreshing drink, having the distinctive taste of the Japanese citrus fruit. My companion chose another non-alcoholic cocktail called Salty & Spicy, which mixed Seedip Garden, Umeboshi (preserved plum), Ginger Beer and shiso leaf.
The meal then began. The first course was entitled Mukozuke. This is an appetiser course. Here we were presented with Cornish lobster, tokoroten, hasuimo, shiso. There were two small plates. One was a small, round, wooden plate which held a lidded, delicate, gold-rimmed glass, embossed with leaves as denotes the summer season. Small slices of tail and claw of lobster provided a pop of pink while the tokoroten (translucent, jelly-type noodles that date back to the Edo period) provided textural contrast and continued the theme of the sea with the noodles made from seaweed. The hasuimo (lotus yam) added green to the palette and crunch to the texture of the dish and the shiso leaf added its deep green hue and slightly sharp flavour. While the flavours were subtle, the lobster dashi had a deliciously long finish.
The non-alcoholic pairing was a Kolonne Null Riesling, 2022 which was one of the best non-alcoholic wines I have enjoyed. It was dry and crisp and paired beautifully with the lobster. My companion had Kawatsuru Olive sake, a 30 % polishing ratio, from Kagawa Prefecture. He expressed surprise that this light and dry sake tasted of olives. We discovered that Kagawa Prefecture is renowned for its olive groves and that this sake uses yeast isolated from the olives. There is much to be learned about Japan from drinking sake. The polishing ratio is important as the lower the ratio, the more polished the rice has been, thus refining the flavours. A sake of 30% means that the rice has been polished to 30% of its original size. Different sakes use a variety of types of rice and the local water adds to the final flavour profile.
The second course was called Nimonowan which means a simmered dish. Here it was described as a fine clear soup, seabass, courgette, yuzu. This was another attractive dish to the eye. A black, lacquered soup bowl with an embossed pattern in gold on the lid, contained a seaweed and seabass broth in which a roulade of courgette strip and thinly sliced seabass perched. The chef recommended that we first take a sip of the soup before eating the roulade. Hues of green shades were evident from the edamame bean perched on top to the deep green of the courgette, and deeper into the bowl where we found a disc of courgette and an edamame mochi. This latter creation was a delight. The broth was a soup of deep umami and fish flavour. The seabass was very delicate and contributed to the summery feel of the dish.
The pairings were enticing before they arrived with the placing of two ceramic cups on the table. Mine was a variegated blue and my companion’s had shades of brown. These handmade sake cups are a sight to behold and in Japan, museums display the most wonderful array in specialist ceramics museums. My drink arrived in a very delicate glass decanter in which was a mix of apple juice, ginger ale, and shiso leaf. It was light and herby and served at room temperature. The sake pairing, Tedorigawa ‘U’ – Junmai/Yamahai sake, from the Yoshida brewery located in Ishikawa Prefecture, was full of umami flavour with a sweetness to it.
The third course was tsukuri and sushi. This was subdivided into three courses of sashimi and sushi made with langoustine, red seabream and tuna. Starting with langoustine, there was langoustine nigiri with caviar served on a black, stone rectangle. The sweet langoustine with pops of salty caviar and a perfectly judged slick of wasabi, was lovely to eat. With this was served a small glass bowl filled with a coral and langoustine jelly on which sat pieces of langoustine with a very light wasabi cream and langoustine roe. With its hues of pink and orange, this was another satisfying mouthful, a medley of langoustine notes in harmony.
With the langoustine, I was presented with three wine glasses each filled with a different chilled tea – sencha, matcha and gyokuro. These ranged from slightly bitter to umami, via the matcha with roasted rice flavour. The sake pairing was Kubota Junmai Daiginjo – both sweet and tart, this refined sake had a floral nose and a rice polishing ratio of 50 %. It is produced by the Asahi Brewery in Niigata Prefecture.
Red seabream was presented on a black, round stone. Two slices of sashimi perched on a delicious sesame paste. One was accompanied by cucumber, ginger and sesame seeds – the crunchy vegetables adding textural and visual interest – while the other donned a grating of fresh wasabi. Fresh wasabi is a world away from the commercial stuff one gets in those tiny sachets. Fresh wasabi is subtle in flavour and gently heats the palate. The fresh fish looked elegant with green garnishing, further advancing the summer theme. Alongside the sashimi was a red seabream nigiri served with sea salt and sudachi (Japanese lime).
The sake pairing was Azure, a very elegant sake having a polished ratio of 50%. It is a ‘new generation’ sake which, in the brewing process, uses deep ocean water rather than mountain spring water. This adds to the minerality of the drink which has a fruity nose.
The final dish of this course was tuna. The tuna hailed from Spain – far fewer air miles than flying it in from the Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo – and was served on a thin stone platter with a gold burnished surface. The sashimi consisted of a piece of akami and toro tuna, served with fresh wasabi, wafer-thin slices of radish and tiny noodles of daikon, shiso and a nasturtium leaf. Once again, hues of pinks reminded diners of the summer season. The fatty tuna had just the mouthfeel one is looking for with toro. The lean, akami tuna had a fresh, dark red hue and was appropriately meaty. Alongside was a most creative DIY maki roll. The open square of nori was topped with a stripe of rice and tuna tartare with a wasabi pickle, spicy Japanese pepper and tiny slices of okra arranged like tiny flowers. We rolled up the crispy seaweed and enjoyed a seriously good mouthful of flavours. This is the sort of dish – amongst others – that enables diners to appreciate the creativity of the chef and the delicate care that is taken in Japanese cuisine to present tiny mouthfuls that look and taste in harmony with the season they represent.
The non-alcoholic pairing was a passion fruit cocktail – passion fruit, apple juice and soda. The sake pairing was the very famous Dassai 45 from Yamaguchi Prefecture. Floral on the nose this is a sake made with soft water and without much sweetness, It has a polishing ratio of 45% which distinguishes it from the other popular Dassai sake which is 50%.
The fourth course – agemono – was amedai. Known as tilefish, it is close to a seabream. This was the tempura course, the fish encased in the lightest of batter, with a very crunchy topping made to look like tiny fish scales. Topped with crystal salts and Japanese lime zest, it was served on a tilefish bone broth which was deeply fishy and textured with the collagen from the fish bones. This delightful fish was served in a red and gold lacquered, square dish embossed with a floral design as befits the season.
I enjoyed my non-alcoholic pairing as I am a fan of the brand of sparkling teas, Saicho. They have a selection of flavours and this one was hojicha, a Japanese green tea. The sake pairing was Kozikomi – ‘Rare Brew’ Junmai Daiginjo. This is from the Michisakari brewery, founded in 1771, located in Tajimi, Gifu, and is considered to produce the top quality dry sakes.
The fifth course brought a change of pace and flavour. Yakimono brought a superb dish of Welsh lamb, served two ways. Presented on a square, stone dish, the lamb and accompanying vegetables were set out in perfect quadrants. The one slice of lamb was a tataki with sansho (Japanese green pepper) and black shichimi pepper. Two slices of seared lamb were served pink with a perfectly caramelised strip of fat. Alongside was a square of deep-fried aubergine slices with white miso and Japanese herbs, This was rich, silky and deeply steeped in umami flavour. The second lamb serving was marinated with pine nut miso topped with Japanese leek flakes and accompanied by a small pile of Japanese parsley which was crunchy and tasted of good health. There was also a tiny tube of burdock root filled with lightly smoked burdock puree. The whole tableau was a vision of pink, green and dark purple. Deeply flavoured and very tender, this lamb was a dish I yearned for days afterwards and was possibly the highlight of a very well-presented and prepared dinner.
The non-alcoholic pairing was chosen to resemble a glass of red wine and was a mix of raspberry, cranberry and tomato juices. It was served in a small coupe and was most refreshing. The sake pairing was a Junmai, refined sake from Oita prefecture. Served warm, it was presented in a beautifully crafted, ceramic sake jar. Junmai translates as ‘pure rice’ and means that the sake has not had brewer’s alcohol added to it. This particular sake has rich umami flavours which pair very well with rich foods such as the lamb we enjoyed.
The sixth course is one of my favourites in the kaiseki meal. Gohan means rice dish and in Japan the rice cooks on a brazier to the side while diners eat the earlier courses. When the rice is served, it is presented to the table in its cooking pot. At Umu, the rice dish was served with its accoutrements on a small, square bamboo tray, each in a different coloured bowl. The rice, mixed with scallops was presented in a ceramic cup and topped with tiny slices of scallops arranged like petals of a flower. It was served with fresh wasabi, umeboshi (preserved plum) sauce and shiso. A ceramic jug of fabulously tasty tomato dashi was one of the other dishes along with a small dish of tiny spheres of rice cracker and sesame and nori. A fourth dish contained a pickle of daikon radish and marinated red radish. We were advised to first eat two bites of rice before mixing in the dashi and the crackers. Snap, crackle and pop came to mind as I enjoyed the multi-flavoured dish along with the piquant flavour of the pickles. Japanese pickles – homemade as these were – are in a class of their own.
The non-alcoholic pairing was a Lychee cocktail, apparently the most popular of the non-alcoholic cocktail list, but perhaps an unusual accompaniment to this dish. The sake pairing was served warm – Yamahai Gohyakumangoku 2018 Vintage – another rich umami style sake from a famous master brewer known as ‘the god of sake brewing’. It is produced by the Noguchi Naohiko Sake Institute brewery located in Ishikawa Prefecture.
I did not come across sweetcorn on my travels in Japan, and I was slightly surprised by the dessert course, entitled Sweetcorn Parade. Although associated with Mexican cuisine, sweetcorn is very popular in Japan, having been brought over by the Portuguese in the 16th century. This dish was certainly inventive and sweetcorn ice cream is now added to my list of unusual flavours I have tasted. It was gorgeously creamy and conveyed the essence of sweetcorn flavour. Alongside was a sweetcorn sponge with sweetcorn custard. Inside the cake were summer berries. It was decorated with thin slices of baby corn, sweet corn kernels and caramelised corn. It resembled leaves of corn and was playfully inventive. Served in a green, textured, ceramic bowl, the sweetcorn parade brought the summer theme to a sweet end.
The final non-alcoholic pairing was a black ceramic cup of bitter-style matcha tea. The sake was a sweet, ume plum sake with a gentle, golden hue and had well-balanced sweet and sour flavours. Urakasumi Umeshu is designed to be paired with desserts and other rich, sweet foods.
We completed our copious meal with petit fours. The chocolate almonds dusted with miso powder were terrific. They were served with small cakes shaped like mini financiers, made from genmaicha – a Japanese brown rice green tea, roasted rice and almonds.
The kaiseki summer menu at Umu took us through the gamut of Japanese dishes with flair and verve. We ate with our eyes as much as with our mouths and enjoyed subtle flavours which enabled top-quality ingredients to shine. For pescatarians, this is a wonderful menu – only one course contains meat – and reveals the outstanding Japanese ability with creatures from the sea, along with inventive attention to accompanying vegetables. Unlike other styles of tasting menus, a kaiseki menu will leave you deeply satisfied but not groaning from overeating. Small portions of artfully conceived and presented food await at Umu. Although we arrived at 7 pm, we were the last diners to leave at 11 pm. That is surely the sign of a good evening with excellent food and service.
Umu restaurant
14-16 Bruton Place,
Mayfair,
London W1J 6LX
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