BMW and Square Meal are treated to a sneak preview of Sosharu, Jason Atherton’s hotly anticipated Japanese restaurant.
No doubt about it, Jason Atherton is a rock star among restaurateurs and when he opens a restaurant the pulse quickens: not just at the thought of the food, but in anticipation at the theatrical thrill of the staging, props and lighting.
But even the week before launch, a visit to Sosharu feels like stepping into a warm bath: the space is welcoming, comfortable, unpretentious and reassuringly under control, a foodie portmanteau that deftly touches all the bases of modern Japanese cuisine, backed by relaxed service.
And so it was last week, when guests of Square Meal and BMW were treated to a sneak preview to mark the anniversary of Square Meal’s partnership with BMW. Guests were chauffeured in BMW 7 Series cars to enjoy a night out at this strikingly designed restaurant, whose interior evokes the clean-lined timber look of the minka houses of Japan – in a very modern and luxurious way, admittedly.
Sosharu sees Atherton partnering with executive head chef Alex Craciun, who has just returned to the Atherton’s Social fold, following a year at the Kyoto Culinary School, together with stints at restaurant Kikunoi in Kyoto and RyuGin in Tokyo. The result does not disappoint.
Our feast kicked off with a simple plate of spring vegetables, which delighted with its clean, fresh flavours, followed by flavour-packed bream sashimi. Tonkatsu crumbed pork balanced with a deft kombu dressing was followed by chicken yakitori, a hotpot of succulent warmth. Rounding off the meal was a dessert of white sesame, chocolate and miso caramel. Wine came in the form of a superb Japanese Koshu white and Austrian Blaufränkisch red, preceded by some fine cocktails.
Towards the end of the evening, Jason Atherton reflected on his excitement at “this complete departure from anything I’ve done before”. It’s a departure that we expect to go down very well with the capital’s diners: tables here will no doubt be highly sought after.
Find out more about Sosharu in this week’s SquareReel news video, where we caught up with Jason to talk about everything from pizza to politicians
This article was published 8 March 2016