Latest opening: The Japanese
What: The Japanese is the sixth restaurant opening within Mayfair member’s club Annabel’s located on the first floor in what was previously The Elephant Bar. It joins the Berkeley Square club’s Mexican and Italian offers located within the impressive 26,000sq ft venue.
Who: Annabel’s is part of The Birley Clubs group of private members clubs that also includes Mark’s Club, George, Harry’s Bar, and Bath & Racquets Club.
The food: Six months in the development stage, the menu is described as comprising dishes that are ‘refined, clean and full of flavour’. These include a selection of sushi; grilled wagyu sirloin with fresh wasabi; tuna tataki; rock shrimp and yuzu kosho; aubergine, kinome miso and tomatoes; seaweed salad and apple; and seabass with a yuzu truffle dressing. Desserts, meanwhile, include matcha eclairs with cherries.
The drink: Unsurprisingly, The Japanese has gone big on the national drinks of sake and sochu as well as a selection of Japanese whiskies. Also, unsurprisingly given the nature of the club and its clientele there’s also a selection of fine and rare champagnes that are available by the glass, a first for Annabel's, thanks to its use of a Coravin system. The signature cocktail menu takes inspiration from Miyamoto Musashi's The Book of Five Rings, and is divided into five chapters - Fire, Water, Wind, Earth and Void with cocktails such as Flames of Tokyo made with Suntory Toki whisky, flame shrub, nori leaf oils, and soda water; and the Airbender with Ki No Bi Sei gin, Honjozo sake, Japanese spiced cordial, absinthe, apple, and soda water.
The vibe: When it comes to décor, Annabel’s doesn’t do things by half and restraint is not a word that is part of its vocabulary, and The Japanese is no exception. Grand handblown Murano glass chandeliers hang from the high ceiling and design touches include ochre and terracotta velvet banquettes and hand-embroidered cushions, traditional Japanese prints and antique rugs on it dark wooden floors. Overall, there’s a stately home feel to the room - think more rococo than Roka.
And another thing: Japanese whisky aficionados – those with deep pockets anyway – will have reason enough to visit. Among The Japanese’s whisky selection is a rare bottle of Yamazaki 55, of which only four bottles exist in Europe.
46 Berkeley Square, London W1J 5AT
annabels.co.uk
