The setting is calm with an undertone of quiet excitement as we can feel that something good is coming. It is an Omakase restaurant ( a meal consisting of dishes selected by the chef), so there is no choosing of dishes here, instead your menu describes the 18 dishes, along with the origin of the main ingredient, that will be served for dinner. The lighting is low, decor minimal, and the ceiling almost ethereal with strips of material creating wavy cloud-like textures.
The night kicks off with welcomes and thank yous from Endo and his team, who encourage you to talk to them, reflecting the affable service that has already been provided up until this point. We are told about the importance of the massive cut of tuna that sits on the counter, which has been caught off the coast of Spain, the rice, which is from a supplier in Japan who only supplies 3 restaurants in the world and lastly the water to cook the rice is also imported from Japan near where the rice grows. Without having tasted a single thing I am already impressed.
We have all heard of the arduous journey to become a sushi master but at Endo’s you not only get to see a master at work, up close, you also get to appreciate the unique combination of humour, kindness, discipline and dedication. Some of my favourite dishes were Grilled Bio Enoki Mushroom with Spanish Winter Truffle, Wagyu Beef with Rokko Miso, Langoustine Nigiri with 8 month aged caviar and the Soufflé for dessert.
Normally truffle and caviar feel like a guy trying too hard to show he is wealthy, you know the ones that tell you what they do, how many cars and houses they own when you didn’t even ask? All flash and no substance. But this mushroom dish was everything and more, it had creaminess, it was effortlessly complex and left you wanting more. Similarly with Wagyu Beef, the first time I had it I was living in NYC and left dinner feeling cheated as it did not live up to the hype nor the price point. Endo’s Wagyu had the most amazing sear, almost charred flavour but the meat was perfectly tender. All the sushi was served in your hand directly from the chef, to maintain the right temperature, not cold rice but body temperature. Each time I kept trying to figure out how I could eat each piece in multiple bites, instead of one, just to savour the delicious flavour for a little longer. I saw one guest, literally close his eyes, tilt his head back slightly, with his hand to his lips and completely zone out as he chewed extremely slowly.
The menu celebrates UK produce so much that when there is an ingredient from another part of the world featured in a dish, you know it is a sacrifice Endo chose to make so that the quality isn’t compromised.
The 18 courses are dotted with a few additional surprises from the chef, not to mention a hand-signed menu and personalised chopsticks to take home, which feel like treasured jewels because you really don’t want the night to end. Like all great theatre productions your soul is constantly crying out for another encore.
I joke with Chef that if he ever needs an assistant or another person round for staff dinner I am there, he says not even his wife gets a seat at the table because he is always busy. This is the magic of Endo’s; it manages to create familiar comfort within Michelin star standards. Of course the food tastes good, as you would expect from a third generation sushi chef with 20 years under his belt, but more than the food, Endo at the Rotunda makes you feel good.
At £180 per person for the meal and £280 per person with drinks, it isn’t likely to be my new regular spot, but for a special occasion it is probably at the top of my list in London. Maya Angelou said “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” I always tell my team this because I believe that the hospitality business is always about providing an escape that makes people feel good. Whilst I may not remember the name of each dish, or even how it tasted, I remember clearly that dining with Endo was a lesson in discipline, a celebration of creativity, an experience of culinary entertainment and an evening filled with laughter, accompanied by impeccably warm service from him and his team that leaves you dreaming of a potential trip to Japan.
Live, Love, Eat
April x
Great Experience – pricey tho! But like you said for special occasions!