A restaurant from Fukuoka has opened a branch in Charlotte Street, Fitzrovia, specialising in Japanese wagyu beef cooked at the counter.
Wagyu Yakiniku Ushio only uses A5 akani wagyu, a leaner style with less marbling, which apparently delivers a beefier flavour than other wagyus. It is served as a 7-course omakase experience at £95 a head, plus matched wines or sakes.
There is also a 6-course set menu at £55 and à la carte options, which include slow-cooked wagyu curry, seared wagyu tartare, wagyu carpaccio and minced wagyu with cheese. The only other dishes served are a house salad to cleanse the palate and a freshly baked matcha choux bun for dessert.
The restaurant is evenings-only and opens late – until 12.30 on Friday and Saturday nights – to replicate the energy of Fukuoka’s late-night eating traditions.
The flagship Akami Yakiniku Ushio launched in Fukuoka in 2016, with the first international spinoff opening last year in Taipei.