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Harden's says
Marylebone's innovative Japanese restaurant has opened a second branch in South Kensington this May. The brand is properly international these days, with noodle bars in Tokyo and a Dinings outlet in a Tel-Aviv hotel.
Harden's survey result
Summary
“The food is always spectacular”, say fans of these top-quality, low-profile Japanese restaurants, which we continue to list under their common brand even though the ownership of the business was split between the individual chefs who run them a few years ago. Reports remain almost indistinguishable between them, although SW3 under chef Masaki Sugisaki inspires more feedback and has more of a “neighbourhood gem” feeling than its W1 namesake, perhaps thanks to its “really cosy” setting off chichi Walton Street.
Summary
Such is their similarity, that we continue to write up this Japanese duo in a single entry, even though the chefs who own them split the business a few years ago and now run each independently. Both provide “dishes to wow the palate” – and “a feast for the eyes” too: “each beautiful, tiny dish tastes as good as it looks”. If you’re looking for differences, SW3 receives more attention nowadays, but fractionally lower ratings and can seem “crowded”.
Summary
“It feels like you’re in Tokyo at this tiny place” in Marylebone (‘Dinings Harcourt’) – the two-floor original of this authentic duo, which increasingly now trade as separate entities: “just trust the chef to get you the best sushi at the counter”. The odd reporter pronounces the Chelsea branch (‘Dinings SW3’) as “not as good, but still a strong contender”, but actually, although W1 inspires more feedback, there’s little to choose between them in terms of their ratings. One distinguishing feature – in summer you can eat outside in SW3, which has a small courtyard garden.
Summary
“An always-exciting menu, incredible food combinations and superb ingredients” remain points in common for this “fantastically inventive” duo of modern Japanese restaurants in Marylebone and Chelsea (“we thought the original was exceptional until we tried this one too…”). Branded in common, the owners – who formerly worked together in W1 – increasingly operate independently, with Tomonari Chiba in Marylebone and Masaki Sugisaki steering SW3. Both premises retain an aesthetic that some find “too cool”. The Marylebone original is on two floors, of which the bar upstairs is sometimes preferred. Chelsea is in a quiet mews, and has a courtyard garden that comes into its own in summer.
For 34 years we've been curating reviews of the UK's most notable restaurant. In a typical year, diners submit over 50,000 reviews to create the most authoritative restaurant guide in the UK. Each year, the guide is re-written from scratch based on this survey (although for the 2021 edition, reviews are little changed from 2020 as no survey could run for that year).
Have you eaten at Dinings?
Restaurant details
Opening hours
L noon-2.45 pm, Sun 12.30-2.45 pm; D Mon-Thu 6-9.30 pm, Fri & Sat 6-10 pm, Sun 6-9 pm
Last orders: 9.30 pm, Fri & Sat 10 pm, Sun 9 pm
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