Yoshihiro Murata to open Mayfair restaurant
The chef, who owns three restaurants in Japan with a total of seven Michelin stars, has secured the former Sakura Japanese restaurant on Conduit Street for a premium of around £1.5m.
Murata is famed for his modern approach to Japanese ‘kaiseki’– a multi-course cuisine featuring seasonal vegetables and fish. He is chairman for The Japanese Culinary Academy and has travelled the world to showcase his particular approach to Japanese cooking, influencing chefs including Nobu Matsuhisa and Ferran Adrià.
David Rawlinson of Restaurant Property, whose agency was jointly involved with CBRE in broking the deal, said: “There are few chefs in the world who manage to successfully balance deep tradition, genuine innovation, and exquisite presentation.
“Yoshihiro Murata is one of them. This is the latest in a series of deals that we have advised on that have seen restaurateurs pay out massive premiums to secure flagship restaurants in London’s Mayfair”.
Murata was previously involved in the launch of Hakkasan’s Japanese restaurant Chrysan, which closed in early 2013 and was put on the market last year.
His restaurant Kikunoi Honten in Kyoto holds three Michelin stars, while Kikunoi Roan, also in Kyoto, and Kikunoi Akasaka in Tokyo hold two Michelin stars each.
