Kurobuta

A New Japan

A new twist on the Japanese cuisine we know and love, the second branch of Kurobuta sits around the corner from Marble Arch and serves up its food in a street style 'pubby' atmosphere. Here you will find the kind of menu which is best navigated with a ‘close your eyes and point’ approach. 

Sharing dishes arrive as they’re ready, with bite sized pieces bursting to the brim with flavour. I’m not entirely sure when it happened, but a combination of Flesh & Buns, Sticks ‘n’ Sushi, The Magazine, Hakkasan and generally feeling the need for sushi at all times of the day has confirmed that this it is without a doubt the food of the Orient which has my heart, stomach and a significant amount of my pay-cheque.

Being presented with the delicious menu by an equally delicious Australian waiter, we were left in that rather annoying state of wanting everything. With more than one nosey glance at neighbouring tables, I could tell that everything looked fantastic and the general murmurs of delight confirmed my suspicions. After a monumental feat of decisiveness from yours truly, we made up our minds.

We went for the most bizarre sticky duck and watermelon salad I've ever seen (I like bizarre so this was by no means a problem).

Some salmon and avocado sushi wrapped in more salmon and drizzled in creamy dill mayo and presented on the most perfect sushi sized leaf.

Hirata buns with a peanuty dipping/ drizzling/ dunking sauce.

Chicken wings covered in sweet and sticky sauce with a hint of chilli and a great juicy squeeze of lemon juice.

And I shall come to the dessert in a minute but take a little gander around the surroundings. High chairs for those with youthful backs/ padded elbows above which hung claw-like half bulb, half insect lamps that doused everything in a warm peachy light. There were also tables for parties of any size and a grey slated bar behind which the chefs made their magic.

So, for the dessert: a crazy combination of lavender, apple creme brûlée hidden underneath crunchy crumble and vanilla ice cream.

And finally, let me present to you a lemon yuzu tart with matcha meringue and raspberries.

The presentation of each dish was a delight with crazy combinations of colours, tastes and textures. To be honest, I'm not entirely sure what I was expecting but this surpassed all these unidentified expectations. Make sure your pockets are slightly heavier because this is a little pricey for the casual dining vibe but if your experience is anything like mine, it's definitely worth it.