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new openings
Uni
18a Ebury Street, SW1W 0LU
020 3544 0805 Price £50
Nikkei cuisine - a mash-up of Japanese
and Peruvian - has been all the rage in
Lima for decades and now Uni is set
to capture that zeitgeist in London.
The split-level corner spot has a highend
feel, with a marble sushi bar on the
ground oor, complete with a gra tistyle
mural and low-hanging lanterns
fashioned from red soda bottles. The
basement is a mix of brown banquettes,
mirrors and private cubbyholes.
Kick o with a coconut-water and
chilli mojito or a pisco with ginger ale,
before diving into Japanese-cum-Peruvian
dishes. The kitchen shows its sushi
credentials with a awless rendition of
king crab tempura, while deep- lled and
sliced soft-shell crab maki are utterly
moreish. For South American spice,
turbot tiraditos and a lobster ceviche
with lime and chilli aren't king-sized,
but the balance of avours is spot-on.
Elsewhere, the eponymous uni (sea
urchins) o er a treat for devotees of
exclusive maritime delicacies, Waygu
beef melts in the mouth and the black
cod in miso is umami indulgence.
Throw in chewy cheesecake and
chocolate mochi, carafes of saké and
attentive sta , and it's easy to see why
Uni is gaining fans among Belgravia's
moneyed set - and it merits attention
from deep-pocketed diners from
beyond, too. Lunchtime bento boxes
o er a cheaper, quicker way to try Uni.
The House of Ho
55-59 Old Compton Street, W1D
6HR 020 7287 0770 Price £42
Bobby Chinn is a New
Zealand-born chef with
Chinese and Egyptian
parents who owns a pair
of successful restaurants
in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi; he
has also written well-respected tome
Vietnamese Food. With such a multicultural
background, it's perhaps not
to be expected that absolute authenticity
would be The House of Ho's calling
card, but to London ears the words
'Vietnamese food' mean one thing:
an alchemical blending of hot and
sweet, salty and sour, packed with
fresh crunch and arresting punch.
Alas, the House of Ho is not furnished
with these qualities, but it does deliver wellrendered,
generic South-East Asian cuisine
for those who like their meals on the sugary
side - bookended with cringe-inducing cocktails
('Ho'groni', 'Ho'rny devil') and European puds.
Crab and pomelo salad with vegetable
noodles, mint, lemon oil and crispy Vietnamese
crackers from the 'light and raw' section, and
smoky aubergine with warm scallion vinaigrette,
scallions and crispy shallots from 'hot
and grilled' were the best things we ate, full of
distinct and lively tastes. By contrast, shaking
beef had good-quality meat but a tame avour,
while grilled chicken wings with spicy chilli glaze
and BBQ baby back ribs with light Asian slaw
were Ho-hum rather than humdinger.
On the upside, the buzz compensates for the
awkwardness of a dining room split by a wall.
We found the sta sweet natured, but poorly
trained when it came to the ner points. You'll
have a good night here - we just wish Bobby
Chinn had brought something new to London.
THE LAST WORD Great buzz but nothing new food-wise
3 more…MODERN ASIANS
Aqua Kyoto
020 3589 3945
Asia de Cuba
020 3463 0296
Mango Tree
020 3544 7978
THE LAST WORD Lima via Belgravia - at SW1 prices
Paloma keeps the faith
at The House of Ho
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