One of London’s ultra-high-end sushi specialists has changed its leadership, with Taku in Albemarle Street, Mayfair rebranding as Sushi Amamato under the direction of a sushi master based in Taiwan.
The 16-seat counter was rated number 5 in last year’s Harden’s 100 of the UK’s best restaurants under chef Takuya Watanabe, who is best known for his restaurant Jin in Paris.
New incumbent Shogo Amamato (above) trained in his native Japan before moving to Taipei, where he opened a 12-seater omakase counter in 2015; it soon became difficult to book a seat, and now operates as a private club. Sushi skills run in the Amamato family: Shogo’s brother Masamichi runs the highly esteemed Higashiazabu Amamoto in Tokyo.
For his London outpost Shogo has adapted his cuisine to include prime European ingredients, in particular fish and seafood. One of his signature dishes consists of trout wrapped around rice then compressed in an oshizushihako press box, which he spins for effect.
Shogo says he aims for a warmer ambience than is sometimes found in traditional Japanese venues: “Being from Fukuoka, my approach differs from the more formal atmosphere often associated with Tokoyo sushi counters.”
The team which operated Taku over its three-and-a-half years remains largely the same, led by head chef Jongho Park. The offer also remains consistent, with a 17-course lunch available at £180 per person, while the full 22-course dinner using ultra-prestige ingredients comes in at £380.
