When your home cuts such a bold statement on the landscape as the angular heft of The Stratford hotel most assuredly does, its flagship restaurant needs to punch high, too. And so it was for five years, with the ambitious and well-liked Allegra.
But at the end of last summer, it closed, and after the few confused seconds of mourning that loyal locals doubtless felt, the delicious question inevitably then bubbled up – ‘I wonder what will take its place’?!
That long-hanging inquiry was finally settled with the arrival of Kokin (or 古今, if you happen to know your way around Japanese script); a name that brings together the opposing elements of past and present.
The schtick here is therefore to honour the fine traditions of world class Japanese cuisine, while infusing the food with enough modern flair to lure London’s culinary cognoscenti with the promise of its cherry and apple wood-fired menu.
The stylish minimalist interior of the seventh floor has not changed much when we arrive on a sunny Sunday evening, which is pleasing, as I’ve written before about the inexcusable environmental waste of restaurateurs ripping perfectly good places out to bring their precious vision to life.
Instead, the muted colour palate lets the sushi (and the striking selection of hand-painted porcelain plates and bowls upon which they are laid) really pop, happily offsetting what may otherwise feel a slightly clinical newbuild vibe. Sadly, the blustery wind swirling around the tower tonight rules out al fresco dining, which on less blowy occasions makes the sizeable terrace another strong attraction here.
Our server is a fountain of food knowledge, talking us gently through the omakase-style starter platter as dishes begin to arrive; a large oyster filled with apple-smoked celeriac purée and a refreshing jelly, a smoky sea eel custard and a skewer of satisfyingly fatty tuna pieces introduce us to the pervasive wood-fired theme.
Whole, sustainably-caught Portuguese and Spanish blue fin tuna are central to Kokin’s offering, making it one of very few places in the capital where you will find such quality and the more unusual cuts from the entire fish.
Accordingly, a real highlight is the tuna collar which arrives next, doused with an eight-year aged homemade Ponzu sauce; the fat and flesh strikingly meaty, as its rich, briny-deep flavours further ratchet up the meal’s smokiness factor.
The simple hit of a Keigetsu Nigori sake, hailing from the Kochi prefecture, works a treat alongside the slivers of expertly wood-fired wagyu sukiyaki and egg yolk (see main pic), before we’re back to three more cuts of tuna, meddled with pearly Ikura salmon roe.
This is the signature Temae Sushi dish, or ‘sushi made by me’, which has my guest grumbling that he’d much rather have his maki expertly rolled by the kitchen rather than to be fumbling about with it, but the hands-on experience definitely adds to Kokin’s crafted blend of Japanese perfectionism mixed with a more informal and relaxed dining style.
After more sake as darkness begins to fall through the windows, I really like the wood-fired ice cream finale. It rounds things off with a gentle last nod towards the kitchen’s all-important flames; the luxurious creaminess of a single scoop set against the acidic tickle of fermented raspberries which lie beneath.
The acclaimed chef behind all this, Daisuke Shimoyama, made his name introducing the artful, seasonally-focused Kaiseki style to London’s dining scene, at Hannah on the South Bank, and the floral touches and carefully plated dishes demonstrate the evolution of the lineage as it moves out East.
His new Stratford home is a sumptuous yet also quite tricky space to work with, but there’s enough talent and ingenuity in the menu, assuredly infused with the all-encompassing influences of the fire, to draw sushi-lovers back up to the 7th floor.
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