This year was the first time I had been abroad on my birthday, I normally spend it with my family. So when I got back from Marbella there had to be a round two, of course. Having heard great things about the new Japanese kid on the block Kouzu, I was curious to explore it. We chose to go for the pre-theatre menu as it seemed to have a good selection for reasonable value at £25-30 per person.
Kouzu is laid out over two floors, with a bar on the ground floor and an open sushi counter on the 2nd. I’d naturally recommend the 2nd floor for dinner as you can watch the chefs work. The interior is very light and chic, more modern European than your usual Japanese restaurant. The lights below are a great touch, they look like lit up marshmallows almost (perfect for making diners hungry for dessert!).
From the moment we walked in, the service was excellent, much thanks to Salvatore the manager.
I initially arrived like a little zombie – how can a holiday tire you out even more? It didn’t help that I was laying in bed all day catching up on Game Of Thrones episodes. The first thing we needed was a drink – a drink to Friday, to my birthday and last but not least, to family ❤
As a treat, instead of the ordinary Prosecco which is included in the set menu, we were offered Bellinis topped with lovely peach foam. I have to say this is one of the tastiest Bellinis I’ve tried, it was delicious and I highly recommend it!
Appetizers included Miso soup and Kobachi of tuna. The Miso soup was just right.
For the starter I had the yellowtail truffle which was tasty, however, I found that the flavour of the avocado and grapefruit overtook the taste of the yellowtail. I stole some of my sister’s beef tataki too. Surprisingly I preferred the beef over the yellowtail. The beef fillet was cut into fine tender slices and served with a light soy sauce.
For my main I chose the black cod, as always! This cod was well made and had a very interesting citrus sauce on the side. It wouldn’t have been my obvious choice of sauce but it was nice nonetheless.
The mixed sushi platter was delicious and in this dish you could really taste the freshness and quality of the fish.
Finally the desserts came out. I was so fixated on the green tea fondant that when it arrived I immediately placed it in front of me. Little did I know that the staff were standing right behind me waiting for space for my surprise birthday cake. Oops, move up green tea fondant, I will get to you later! The chocolate cake was quite light in terms of texture and not too rich in flavour, offering a good balance. I loved the treat.
Make a wish
Of course I didn’t forget…
The fondant had a lovely unique flavour but unfortunately as they were changing menus they couldn’t serve the chocolate ice cream which usually accompanies it. You could notice the ice cream was missing from the dessert, leaving it slightly dry. Both together would have been a fabulous combination.
If you expand outside of the set menu I’m you will find the Kouzu gems. Although there is no doubt that the produce Kouzu uses are top notch, something was lacking and there wasn’t much excitement in the dishes. It almost had too much of a European twist that it took away from the Japanese that I love so much. Having said that, despite there being many competitors in London, Kouzu takes the crown for Japanese in Belgravia.
3.5/5
Check out the full Kouzu menu at Zomato
21 Grosvenor Gardens
London
SW1 0JW
020 7730 7043
