Top sushi chef Shinji Kanesaka launches restaurant at 45 Park Lane

Sushi Kanesaka officially launches on 1 July but is already in its soft launch phase. It marks the first restaurant outside the Asia Pacific for Kanesaka, who is best known for his Tokyo flagship - also called Sushi Kanesaka - which has held two Michelin stars since 2018. 

Housed behind a discreet doorway Sushi Kanesaka brings ‘the mastery of Edomae sushi in its most traditional, purest form’ to London ‘setting a new benchmark for omakase dining in the city’.

Sushi Kanesaka is the latest in a flurry of low-cover/high-price omakase restaurants to setup shop in the capital and will carry the highest price tag, with set menus starting at £400 (paired sake costs £150 - £220). 

The space comprises a nine-seater counter and an adjacent four-seat counter private dining room (each has its own sushi chef). 

Every element of the interior and experience has been ‘curated to embody the spirit of traditional Tokyo sushi restaurants’. Design details include a walkway of reclaimed Japanese granite; wooden Kumiko panels inspired by the restaurant’s neighbouring Serpentine in Hyde Park; and a chef’s counter hewn from a single piece of cedar wood. 

In keeping with tradition, the restaurant showcases its hinoki ice chests - first used by sushi chefs in the Edo period – which allow the temperature of the fish to be perfectly maintained.

Each omakase meal will be up to 20 courses. Core ingredients like wasabi and rice will be sourced from Kanesaka’s long-standing Japan-based suppliers but seafood will be sourced from the UK and Europe with much of it undergoing the  ikejime method. 

“I am honoured to introduce our culinary heritage and passion for sushi, with some of my team and chefs from Sushi Kanesaka in Tokyo,” Kanesaka says. “We are thrilled to share the true essence of Edomae sushi, meticulously prepared using the finest ingredients, traditional techniques, and utmost dedication, transporting guests to the vibrant streets of Ginza – and the tranquillity of a traditional omakase service.”

Owned by Dorchester Collection, 45 Park Lane opened in 2011 and is also home to Wolfgang Puck’s CUT at 45 Park Lane and Bar 45.