Roketsu’s charm hits you before you’ve even sat down. The entire layout draws from sukiya architecture – the Japanese tradition of building spaces that feel simultaneously considered and unhurried. You notice it in the materials, the proportions, the absence of anything unnecessary. And by the time you’re shown to your seat at the seven metre long hinoki cypress counter, the outside world is irrelevant.
This is kappo dining, which means the kitchen and the dining room occupy the same space. Chefs work directly in front of you, close enough that watching someone else’s dish being plated becomes an active part of deciding your own order. That happens constantly, and it’s half the pleasure. The menu moves with whatever the season is doing – right now that means sakura, with two cherry blossom menus running from £150, but any uncertainty about where to start disappears quickly. The waiters are genuinely skilled at reading what you want – share enough preferences and they’ll put together a sequence that feels personal and considered.
We started gently. Spinach goma-ae: dashi-simmered spinach with sesame, a delicate pastry cracker balanced on top adding something almost architectural to an otherwise quiet dish. Yellowtail came next, sliced over cauliflower puree and dressed with yuzu ponzu – bold with citrus and yet delicate enough that it’s gone in seconds. The foie gras miso monaka, a fixture across both seasonal menus, was the most unexpected: rice wafers surrounding saikyo miso marinated foie gras, with plum sake jelly, pear and pickled cucumber giving sharpness through every mouthful. A generously sized vegetable tempura arrived next, properly light and crispy – no notes. We then watched as a single portobello mushroom was slowly grilled over binchōtan, the meaty tender vegetable treated with madeira sauce and covered in shavings of truffle. The grill handles heat in a way that changes what umami actually means, and this dish is the perfect demonstration of that.
Nigiri followed: yellowtail, fatty chutoro, ikejime chalk stream trout, each one assembled in front of you and each one a new personal best. Several maki rolls of trout with shiso, smoked radish and spring onion made this the best sushi I’ve had this year. Then A5 wagyu, charcoal grilled, yuzu oroshi cutting straight through the richness – the fattiness of perfectly cooked beef melting on your tongue makes it genuinely hard to accept that the savoury courses are done.
Throughout, a wine and sake sommelier made suggestions that actually earned their place alongside the food. The wine list, for a Japanese restaurant, takes itself seriously in the best way. Finish with a matcha basque cheesecake and homemade ice cream – we walked out of Roketsu booking to go again next week.
