The Shiori

Sadly this restaurant has now closed. It’s a shame, cause it was one of the best japanese restaurant in London.

I’m glad that I have discovered this tiny restaurant. The 10-​course set dinner comes highly recommended together with the Sake pairing. Service was friendly and attentive, food was by far the best I have had in a long time.

The most unique japanese food I have had, and I’ve had a lot in my life time. Prepared in the Kyoto-​style Kaiseki, a traditional and acutely prepared tasting menu of sorts. The style is about a balance of the taste, texture, colours and appearance based on seasonal theme and produce where the chef uses a single method to prepare each dish.
We happened to go around Japanese new year; we had about 12 courses, all small enough to enjoy fully. The ambiance is not so impressive, but it can pass. I don’t think there was any music playing, and it’s a small room where you can over hear other’s conversations, but it is all about the food and the lovely husband/​wife team who run the place. A very welcome addition to the neighbourhood.

Big news, ladies and gents! Sushi of Shiori has become a grown-​up. If Sushi of Shiori was a bit of an awkward adolescent with glimmers of her future beauty, The Shiori is a full-​fledged, legs-​to-​there hotty. Where SoS was a Tokyo-​style sushi joint (one of the best in London it has to be noted), The Shiori is a Kyoto-​style kaiseki.
Chef Takagi-​san offers two multi-​course options a night with some amazingly fresh ingredients. Hitomi-​san is still running front-​of-​house with some help of a waiter. There are now about twenty seats without a counter. And if you plan on going on the weekend, make a booking. They turned away four walk-​ins when we went last Friday evening.
The meal is between two and three hours, and totally worth it. It started off with black sesame tofu topped with uni, and only got better from there. A marinated salmon with fermented rice was probably my favorite dish of the evening. The salty pearls of salmon roe bursting on my tongue and mixing with the basic rice flavor was heaven.
The level of umami in the dashi-​based broths of more than one dish was beyond words. I think I could eat a bowl of his seasonal soup (this one including enoki mushrooms and ama ebi) every day. However, the simmered dish was based on monkfish, that was pretty overcooked. I love monkfish, so this was a big disappointment for me, but it was the only real misstep in food of the evening.
Takagi-​san home brews his own soya sauce to accompany the sashimi course, which is almost too artful to eat, as per usual. The sushi comes in three courses, including a flame-​seared wagyu beef nigiri that is amazing. I also love his scallop nigiri presented with a dollop of truffle – probably one of the best things I’ve eaten this year. The grilled course is a warm oyster-​on-​the-​half-​shell topped with an amazing combination of yuzu and red miso. I absolutely loved it.
There were only a couple of visible faults, including the fluidity of the service, but I think this will iron itself out with time. We also ordered the sake pairings, which ended up being very stingy pours. The variety was excellent, but I doubt I would order it again.
Other than that, I’m so excited to have an excellent Japanese option in West London. The meal is not cheap, but the experience itself is worth the trip. I am looking forward to another visit later in the winter to see how the seasonal menu has changed. I imagine The Shiori will only grow more elegant and self-​assured with time.