RAI

While the buzzing throng surrounding Charlotte Street always makes it feel like the place to be, there’s one unassuming façade that you could quite easily miss. RAI’s signage is simple and its dimly lit windows hide what might be going on inside. So, it’s quite a surprise when upon stepping through the door you’re met with the restaurant’s customary greeting: an incredibly loud unified chant from all the staff, in Japanese.

Spend an evening at RAI and you’ll realise that this restaurant specialises in surprises. Including supplements the tasting menu at RAI can run up to 10 courses, and so the attentive staff are keen to communicate their fluid serving style in which “food just keeps coming.” Again, and again, spectacular dishes are brought out, each one with an impressive story behind it.

The hand-picked Maldon rock oysters are a brilliant example. Carried on an under-sea rock formation, a single oyster is decorated with five-year aged soy sauce and fresh wasabi, grated from its pure, original form in front of you. Fresh-as-fresh and full of flavour, it will get you excited for what’s next.

There are so many dishes which deserve a shout out, especially the mouth-watering fatty tuna sashimi which literally melts on your tongue, and the Scottish salmon tartare which mixes yuzu miso, crispy leek, British pear and 60 month aged organic Parmigiano Reggiano. Because of the natural association we hold to these dominant flavours and their countries of origins, you find yourself tasting Italy, Japan and the English countryside, all in one mouthful. It’s unconventional but divine.

Enhance the experience further with a drink pairing and enjoy crisp white wines with seafood-based plates and potent sake, too. As for the dining area, it is an intimate space, with refined, sleek décor. The overall effect is elegant – reflective of the restaurant’s fine dining status, without feeling showy.

RAI is perfect for an occasion dinner, especially when you’re looking to impress. We can’t imagine anyone being met with this standard of innovative food and being disappointed.

RAI is an outlier in the capital. High-end Japanese dining in London can often come with an eye-watering price tag. But RAI keeps things affordable, offering a premium omakase-style dining experience using the finest ingredients without breaking the bank.

At the helm in the kitchen is executive chef Padam Rai, bringing decades of experience to this calming Japanese restaurant just minutes from Tottenham Court Road. Originally from Nepal, but trained in Osaka, he’s held specialist positions in London’s Michelin-starred Japanese restaurants. His style focuses on modern Japanese techniques that celebrate traditional heritage as well as the British influences that have shaped its development.

Menus at RAI offer a la carte, tasting, and omakase formats, with the latter available as a nine, 11 or 13-course experience. All of them feature meticulously-sourced ingredients, such as Hyogo Prefecture Kobe, Sanpuku nori harvested from Japan’s Ariake Sea, Koshihikari rice, and soy sauces aged between 2 and 38 years. Wasabi, meanwhile, is always fresh, sourced only from Mount Fuji and grated just before serving.

Inside, the Japanese garden inspired interiors offer a calming spot to enjoy plates like A5 wagyu gyoza with ponzu sauce, spicy rock shrimp tempura tarts, and yellowtail maki rolls. Those are available on the a la carte menu, but if you’re looking to get the full experience, let us guide you to the eight-course seasonal tasting menu for a parade of dishes that span RAI’s signature Hokkaido scallop stone garden seafood tartare, sashimi omakase with 5-year-aged soy sauce, and 48-hour marinated black cod.

Alternatively, if you’re ready to let the chefs take the reins, choose from the several omakase offerings, including a very affordable lunchtime omakase with 9 courses. Don't forget to take your pick from their selection of sake, wine, and spirits.