Cubé Japanese Restaurant
4 Blenheim St, Mayfair, London W1S 1LB
Nearest Tube: Bond Street
Buzz Factor 4.2/5 stars
Food 4.5/5 stars
Value for money 4.4/5 stars
4.4 Yummy Stars
Price £££ Lunch sets - £16-£30; Omakase £50 at lunch and £80 at dinner; appetizers and salads - £4.4 - £35; individual sushi/sashimi and sushi rolls options; fried and grill options at dinner - £7-£16 (at time of writing)
☏ 020 7165 9506
Cubé Salad at Cubé Japanese Restaurant
Eat-in or Take-away
With London flooded by so many Japanese restaurants, how does one stand out from the crowd? Expectations run high with the key personnel at Cubé hailing from “branded” Japanese culinary establishments. The head chef, Osamu Mizuno who had worked at Sake no Hana and Nobu, does his magic at the sushi counter. The bar manager, Reo Nomura(formerly from Tokimeite and Kouzu) runs the show in the basement bar, called Kakurega (meaning “hideway” in Japanese”), where you can get rare sake, Japanese whiskys and fine wines from the “owner’s cellar”.
The restaurant sits on the ground floor; wooden tables (for 2) are anchored close to neighbouring tables, against a backdrop of walls fully clad in wood. It looks like something that has come out of Grand Designs where the owners are crazy about wood and more wood. The décor is clean-cut, like a sharp Japanese knife, simple and yet effective, with clever lighting getting you in the mood. The love of wood continues into the dimly lit basement bar. The ambience lighting stirs a sense of mystery and yet sophistication, where the owner seemingly wants to create a space for the customers to hide away.
The restaurant was full of mostly Japanese customers. Service was perfectly adequate in the hustle and bustle of the lunchtime service. Our waiter was helpful but obviously liked his food fried.
The menu intriguingly states “Tapas” which turned out to be basically appetizers. Other European tastes surfaced in the use of fois gras, truffle butter and cheese in some offerings but the menu was dominated by classic Japanese delights with a modern twist.
Cubé means to pamper/to treat. Did the food deliver? A resounding yes. The Cubé salad Japanese yam from Aomori Prefecture (on Honshu island in Japan) was super delicious with layers and layers of flavours and different textures. There was a hint of crunch from the yam and daikon, which contrasted against the ethereal lightness from the feather-like bonito flakes and sweetness from the ruby red goji berries and sesame dressing, all intertwined with fresh salad leaves. Feeling virtuous after the salad, we went for the Rock shrimp tempura, which was heavenly. It had an ever so light a coating of batter which was then christened by a divine sauce. The shrimps were sweet and juicy.
The sashimi and chirashi was equally superb with the fish (and the scallop in the sashimi) plump and terrifically fresh. The slices were generous and you felt that you were being fed properly rather than being served slices redolent of smoked salmon as in some establishments.
All in all, it was definitely a treat. Cubé, it was.
