Kurobuta

The Unilocalers were right. This is a really great Japanese restaurant. It was affordable, the interior is well decorated, minimalist, and relaxing. The food is really good and tasty. The staff is great too.

A most unexpected, astonishingly affordable Japanese bottomless boozy brunch at a place notorious for prices that make you cry. I think this might be one of the best kept secrets in London brunchery and all for only £35!
This minimalist, steel-​stone-​and-​wood café is owned by one of the most favored and famous chefs, Scott Hallsworth, who also started a little restaurant you might have heard of… Nobu?
The food is punchy Japanese ‘street food’ often fried and streaked with salty/​spicy sauces. There was friend chicken, and sushi, and salmon on a crisp. There was build your own Ramen and marinated tofu, and something delicious in a lettuce leaf. The drinks are wine and beer and a cocktail upon arrival. Admittedly the food selection was not incredible or incredibly long, but it was definitely enough variety and good quality, plus a fruity dessert platter.
Apparently the actual menu for Kurobuta is long and divine and you can get the extended brunch menu for £45 (so you get all of the above buffet-​style plus some of the real menu and drinks included). Yes, no joke. No one will even believe me.
The staff was awesome as they quickly clocked that our group of 8 were, and I quote, ‘hitting the drinks hard’ so they started giving us a bottle for the table at a time so as not to embarrass us by making us ask every 15 minutes for a re-​fill (and having to come over every 2 minute). How very kind! A very refreshing change from the drunk-​shaming ways of other places.
I will come back many more times and bring many more people.

I’d wanted to go to Kurobuta for a while — it’s been one of those places I constantly get as a recommendation, as in «oh, you’re Japanese? Have you been to Kurobuta?»
I ordered what is now my new favourite cocktail on the recommendation of my enthusiastic waiter, the Green Bastard. (The cocktail, that is, not the server). It had all of my favourite things in a glass — Hendrick’s gin, midori, cucumber and lime — tart, refreshing and perfectly amazuppai — the Japanese word to describe something that’s both sweet and sour (but in the best way possible).
Kurobuta attempts a Western twist on the classic Japanese izakaya, and the theme is consistent throughout — from the atmosphere and décor to the dishes and menu itself.
In traditional izakaya style, Kurobuta offers a wide selection of small, tapas style plates, ideal to eat family-​style — my favourite way of eating anything. Ordering at Kurobuta presented more of a challenge than usual, as everything is so appetising — and the combinations so unusual.
After much debate (the waiter had to come and go a few times) we settled on six dishes between the two of us, as well as a few bottles of Asahi black for the mister. Couldn’t get much more out of him on the subject beyond «it’s beer», but the Asahi black is a dark lager beer — if you’re a fan of Guinness then this is worth tasting.
The first dishes to arrive where the porky scratchings with yuzu kosho dip. Pork scratchings isn’t something I’d ever end up buying in a shop, or attempt at home, but every time it’s on the menu I inevitably end up ordering it (with no regrets). Duck and Waffle do great ones in my opinion (okay, okay, they’re pigs ears if you’re being picky about it), but the Kurobuta ones are in a league of their own. The light crispness is reminiscent of tempura batter, but the way it melts pleasingly on the tongue, along with the distinctively porky aftertaste confirms that it is not. If I come back as a pig in my next life, then this is the fate I would hope for — to end up as these porky scratchings. Served with a yuzu kosho dip, these aren’t overly sickly either, and felt relatively guilt-​free — though make no mistake, these most definitely are not!
The porky scratchings were shortly followed by Jerusalem artichoke chopsticks, served with a truffle ponzu dip. I don’t know how they managed to squeeze so many of my favourite things into one dish, and once it arrived I was even more delighted to find that the artichokes had been shaped into attractive chopstick shapes and deep-​fried. These were beautiful, although I must admit I much preferred the yuzu kosho dip from the porky scratchings, and found myself dipping these into that sauce instead.
Kurobuta was a fun dining experience. In my opinion, the Western twist on Japanese dishes outdid the Japanese twists on Western classics, but I would definitely go again with close friends and family.
Including a side of rice and drinks, Kurobuta set the two of us back £120 including service.

Food is ok but overpriced for the quality.

Simply the best. Although quite pricey, the food and service are top notch. Highly recommend the salads– Nuts and grains as well as the Kale salad. Sample everything — you won’t be disappointed!

Super fun, tasty menu. Everything I tried seemed to be prepared perfectly.
A great place to go for small plates with friends (or alone while traveling for work).
Awesome staff. Great beer.
Unimpressed with he cocktail I had.

Just visited their stall at the Connaught Village Summer Party. They were serving bbq pork buns with spicy peanut soy, chicken sliders and a few varieties of sushi. And payment was a minimum donation of 2£ a bun or 6 pieces of sushi towards the Church of England.
The bbq pork buns were excellent, the sushi was average, but I suspect that it was because it was pre-​rolled. However this tiny introduction has convinced me to visit their main restaurant

Expected the interior to be a little bit more upmarket but it actually added to the atmosphere that it was quirky & cool. The food was excellent. Will be returning soon!

When we arrived we were seated at a table directly underneath a large. bright light. When we asked to move the staff were friendly and accommodating. I liked the design of the restaurant, good lighting, and the tables aren’t too close to each other.
We ordered the frozen kirin beers, a favourite of mine, then started off with the sweet potato fries and BBQ pork belly buns. The fries were well seasoned and perfectly complimented by the delicious kimchi mayo. The buns were pillowy soft, and the pork cooked really well, served with a really, really great spicy peanut sauce.
We followed with the squid karaage, rice hot pot, and the spicy tuna maki. The squid was nicely spiced, well suited to the jalapeño dipping sauce, and the rice was a nice accompaniment. The spicy tuna maki was good, not the best I’ve had, but good.
We finished off with Pistachio chocolate forest cake, and ice cream stuffed buns with peanut butter. by this stage we were so full, but the food was so good we had to eat it all.
All in all an amazing dining experience. Friendly staff, great atmosphere. Will definitely return.

Japanese Tapas. My boyfriend and I had a great experience! We both got espresso martinis which were great, and we got a bunch of food to share. We loved everything we ate but the one thing that stood out was the squash tempura (so good!)

Excellent service. Japanese restaurant that does not look or feel like one! Try the kirin on draft, they serve with frozen foam. Special. Unfortunately came to try just a small bite will be coming back for a full one.

We wanted Japanese food but Nobu just got their Michelin star status stripped so we thought we would try Kurobuta. We read reviews about the food (everyone raved about it) and the service (most people trashed it) and we decided not to have any expectation on the service so we wouldn’t be let down.
We requested no shared table or high chairs and they honoured our request and got us a table of two by the window. It was still early (6-​ish) and the music wasn’t too loud. We got served quite swiftly throughout the meal. Our waiter was quite nice and chatty. He answered our questions and even told us what he liked and disliked on the menu.
The food was very tasty. We ordered 7 savoury dishes (plus 2 drinks each) between the two of us and we still got room for dessert. We thought there was too much ponzu sauce for the yellowtail sashimi but you could still taste the freshness of the fish. One of the waiters asked if we needed soy sauce for our sushi as we were finishing the sashimi and we decided to opt out the offer because it’s already quite salty on our palate from the sashimi. Rookie mistake. Yes you could taste the salmon and snow crab on the sushi but it’s just a bit too dry to not have a bit of soy sauce to dip the rice in.
Also, the description on the menu for the salmon sushi was quite misleading as it mentioned the word «fries» and we thought «salmon sushi with fries?!» When it came out there was no fries and our kind waiter clarified the fries was actually the micro herb on top of the sushi! It was quite a let down and when we ate it there’s no sensation resembling of eating fries at all!
Apart from the salmon sushi, all other dishes were very delicious! The desserts were very pretty and tasty. We would come back again, just not for the sushi!

My God, the food is amazing (and expensive). I could stop there but I’ll go on so future foodies can indulge in the insanely tender sticky miso eggplant and crushed walnuts (£8.50) and the tempura sweet potato and soba-​ko fries with an incredible mayo dip (and I don’t even like mayo!) I sat at the bar and the bartender quickly approached me (it was nice to not be ignored like many other places I’ve been to). I got a shot of a gin drink that hit the spot– sweet with the strong undertone of gin blended perfectly. The aubergine is so good I got two of them. Didn’t have room for dessert but if I ever get a sudden payload one day, I’ll come back. Total for the tiny shot, two aubergines and fries: £39.66. Eeeek.
Minus just one star for the WAY too loud music. It’s not a nightclub people, it’s dinner.

The service is TERRIBLE. Shockingly bad.
I had dinner there last night and waited 20 minutes after being seated. Nobody came over to greet us or offer us drinks, so we had to flag down a hostess and ask her to take our drink order. She went over to ask the waiter if that was ok and then came back to take our order.
We then had to wait ages before getting our drinks and even longer before someone came to take our food order. Nobody explained the menu and nobody seemed to care much that we were there. Other tables around us were complaining too.
They never offered us dessert or further drinks. They just plopped our food on the table when it came out without any words and just left us to it. We had to ask twice for our bill at the end.
The servers seem to be poorly trained and unprofessional. There was a frantic and an «I don’t care» vibe going on with the servers. It was unpleasant.
Two of our six dishes were good, but not worth the long waits and horrible service. For the prices, I’d expect much better service or at least bare-​bones service. You get better service at McDonalds.
I can’t believe was a horrible experience we had there.

Kurobuta translates as ‘black pig’ from Japanese. I was sad not to see the pork variety available on the menu. The menu is not traditional Japanese but rather an reinterpretation of modern Japanese flavours and presentation. The food was definitely creative: Beef Fillet Tataki with Onion Ponzu and Garlic Crisps was a bit overpowering in flavour but the meat was incredibly tender; the Wagyu Beef Sliders; Brioche Bun, Crunchy Onions, Pickled Cucumber and Umami Mayo were sweet and great to have after the beef tataki with onion. Sometimes a bit too creative to the point of wondering whether it’s supposed to taste weird or it’s just me not being open to it.
But the highlight was definitely the dessert! A crazy combination of lavender, apple crème brûlée hidden underneath crunchy crumble topped with crispy apple slices and vanilla ice cream. We heard that Raymond Blanc asked for the recipe.
Overall, trendy and fun but I won’t be rushing back for the food (ok maybe the dessert). The Australian chef and Australian staff do a wonderful job of creating atmosphere — you want to sit there and people watch in the restaurant and savour the cocktails. The frozen beer foam or ‘head’ is a bit off-​putting.

Met a group of friends for a casual Sunday dinner, the restaurant is open and light with plenty of space and neutral décor. I had read a few reviews before going and was a little disappointed by what they said… Particularly about the poor service.
Well, the service wasn’t as bad as others have experienced. Although I can see how they may have had that impression. We were one of only two tables and we had to call the waiter over who was engrossed in a conversation with one of the other 6 waiting staff stood about. We were served by at least two staff, both who were friendly and took every opportunity to up-​sell. I appreciate that some people see it as good service but every time they came over it was to push something else onto the bill — it annoyed me slightly, I know what I want to eat.
The food was very good… Actually really very good. We went for a mixture of dishes, and they were all tasty and well presented. Two of the high lights were the lamb chops and the ribs, I recommend them both!!! The deserts were really in a different league, I don’t normally eat deserts but the ladies in our group ordered 3 to share. The pistachio donuts were amazing.
The bill came in at £40 each, including the «frozen» beer (novel, but not worth the extra money) I had. It’s in line with many other restaurants of this type for about the same amount of food. If you are looking to go here on the cheap, expect to go home hungry.
This place isn’t close to us but it’s worth the walk, I’m glad I went at a quiet moment as I’m not sure the experience would be the same on a busy night, I’d give it a chance though.

A casual dinning establishment by the ex-​head chefs of Nobu and creators of Bone Daddies & Flesh & Buns, the expectations were set high!
Food isn’t bad infact few pleasant surprises, but overpriced for what it is. But if you want to try something new then give this place a go (but also expect flaky service), it won’t be a bad experience.
Some dishes have interesting ideas like tuna sashimi pizza with green chillies and baby tempura shrimps with spicy mayo, while delicious with an interesting texture and crunch, both seemed to be missing the «kick» with chillies and spice!
Highlights definitely were: flamed edamame and pork buns. Both delish!

Let me start with a warning here, just to make sure you read it: you WILL spend twice as much as you plan to here! Whether you find yourself doubling up on your fave dish, going all out on the sake, or asking for something you’ve spotted on another table — trust me, it’s going to happen.
This is the new permanent home of the Chelsea pop-​up — sadly I missed it a few months back so didn’t have many expectations. Oh wait, apart from the fact that it’s from the ex-​head-​chef of Nobu. No pressure then! :P
A chatty waiter later told us the place is supposed to channel a traditional Japanese izakaya/​pub. I couldn’t tell you if they achieve this for real but my imagination says yes — décor is minimalist and unfussy, with hanging light bulbs and lots of dark wood. It was full to bursting on a Saturday night but I liked that it kept a very cool, relaxed vibe.
We had to wait a little while at the bar which is where the menu fun began. I put aside a beautifully descriptive sake list (one for next time!) in favour of some knockout sounding cocktails. My date chose better than I did with his Green Bastard (yes, really) though I didn’t tell him that.
Things got even more interesting when we moved to our table and saw the food menu. I’d say it’s Japanese fusion, which I guess reflects the chef’s more international background (or is maybe just a nice way of saying it’s not strictly authentic?!). Either way, it’s creative and so diverse, so if you’re in a hurry you’re screwed — it’s the kind of menu you want to read all the way through and change your mind a few times (before just ordering everything obv).
The menu is split into various tapas-​style sections but we chose a mix of dishes, which came out in a slightly confusing staggered fashion of two dishes at a time. Not sure whether that was planned or stuff just wasn’t ready? But I suppose it meant we got to appreciate each dish in turn rather than being overwhelmed.
Ok I won’t talk through everything we had because it’s making my mouth water already. But the highlights: ohh boy the crab tempura maki hits the spot (and suggest keeping the yum kimchee mayo for later dishes!). I have a weak spot for sweet potato fries also (again I kept the sauces around) and if you’re trying to be good get the green veg oshitashi (mostly tenderstem broccoli). Then came the BBQ pork belly and pickled cucumber in steamed buns with spicy peanut soy. Yes, yes, a thousand times yes :)
The waiting staff keep it cool — not the kind of place they keep coming back to ask how you are, but they’re happy to chat when you want something. Plus they have to stop by the table repeatedly anyway given the food comes out in dribs and drabs! One waiter also talked us into getting dessert by bigging up the award-​winning dessert chef (not that I ever need much convincing). Sadly it was a bit of style over substance here — they looked mega impressive, like a hugely complicated 50-​piece work of art on a plate, but the taste was just ok. Bit of a shame as up til then I’d been enjoying how unpretentious it all was — the kind of food that’s made to be eaten, not just looked at.
Think the menu definitely has its highs and lows then, and as I said upfront those small dishes (mostly around a tenner each) stack up quicker than you’d think! But book ahead, order right, and treat yourself to a fun place for catch-​up or date night :)

Well. A complete disappointment. We had a booking, two weeks ahead, yet on arrival there was a search where to seat us.
Anyway to food and drinks. Waitress arrived left menus took order for water and offers edamame. Ordered a cocktail and sake. 12 minutes later waitress returned to inform no cocktail available and sans sake.
Tried to push them to rush the drinks. Waste of time. Ordered food.
5 dishes. 2 unavailable. Post ordering. Ordered more food yet again dishes unavailable. What’s the point of a restaurant that cannot deliver your requirements.
Sadly no return planned. Actually not sad at all. No return their loss.
Don’t waste time to go here.

Really enjoyed our meal from start to finish. We had a few cocktails, (The Melon Smash, Chelsea Tea, Caipirinha and Green Bastard.) my favourite being the smash and the caipirinha. I didn’t order the Green Bastard, but was stuck with it as it was too sweet for my other half. Way too sweet for me too.
We ordered the yellowtail sashimi, beef fillet tataki, two rounds of Wagyu beef sliders, pumpkin tempura, Jerusalem artichoke chopsticks, (Yeah, it’s a lot. We were celebrating. Don’t judge.) Nasu Dengaku and another round of yellowtail sashimi, which was not received but taken the bill. We finished with a sort of deconstructed parfait which introduced me to my new addiction, matcha meringue!
The meal was seriously delicious and we will hike out to Marble Arch soon for another go round.