Month: October 2021

a counter only 20 course Omakase by Taiji Maruyama

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A TRULY STRONG LONDON’s OMAKASE IS BORN

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When I received the call from the chef Maruyama san last week, I must say that I didn’t expect it to be an opening announcement.

He had told me that he was planning to open on the 15th of June, but after those never-ending Covid lockdowns, then even after the reopening, many chefs are telling me that they were just trying to adapt to the new situations.
So I never imagined that Taiji san would actually open on this day.
He also runs a popular restaurant, TAKA Marylebone.

But today, on right on 15th June, MARU LONDON had its grand opening.

I respect for his spirits and the way he pushes forward and does what he says he is going to do, even against great hardships.

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MARU is a counter table only, serving 20-course Omakase of sushi and small Japanese dishes.

I love its location.
It’s right on the doorstep of Shepherd Market.
It’s like Roji – an alleyway, yet with all the elegance of Mayfair, the kind of street you love to have your favourite counter seating restaurant in Japan.

From the moment I walked in, I felt nothing but comfort.
It could be because of the space, with a total of 8 seats (for the time being only 6) that is very compact for London restaurant, the sense of unity, and the warmth of the Japanese interior.
But more than that, I think it’s the fresh sensibility of Chef Maruyama san, with its vibrant personality, that you feel everywhere.
It’s not intrusive, not too casual, it is Japanese yet it blends into the London scene in a very natural way.

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Born in Fukushima Prefecture, chef TAIJI MARUYAMA san started his culinary career at a Kappo restaurant in Tokyo.
In 2005, he moved to London to work at NOBU Park Lane, where he gained experience of sushi.
And in 2017, he became the head chef at the newly opened luxury country estate in Surrey, Beaverbrook Hotel.
The experience he gained here, says Maruyama san, “has made me who I am as a chef today”

In the beginning at Beaverbrook, when he started to put together the Japanese menu, it was difficult to get fish from the suburbs.
He had to seek out his own suppliers, and after a lot of exchanges about what kind of fish he wanted, and what was good fish, Maruyama san developed a relationship of trust.
Eventually, he says, he was able to get better quality fish than he had in London.

He also learnt to value life by going hunting deer, hares and pigeons with a neighbouring butcher.

The historic hotel stands on 470 acres of private land as far as the eye can see.
He harvested the wild plants and mushrooms that live on this vast estate and even grew their own vegetables.

“To be at one with nature. It was here that I developed my relationship with the producers and my homage to the power of ingredients that can only be found in so close to the kitchen”

MARU is all about local production for local consumption, as we Japanese call it “Chisan Chisho”.

At MARU, this is not just a concept that we have become accustomed to hearing.
The 20-course Omakase menu uses all British ingredients except tuna.
For example, the soil from which the restaurant’s vegetables are grown is used to make the Dashi broth, and the seawater from Cornwall, where most of the fish used at MARU is caught, is used in the cooking process.

“ I’m looking for water now. The one perfectly soft for Japanese cuisine, but it has to be British “

he says.

I cannot recall there’s ever been a Japanese restaurant that’s been so committed to British produce.

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AGEING TECHNIQUE

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The ageing of sushi tane is recently often mentioned alongside the more traditional techniques.

In my post on MARU, which opened in June, I wrote about Chef Taiji Maruyama san’s love of and commitment to British ingredients.

But another highlight is his ageing technique.

The Dryager , which is usually used for ageing meats, is used here for tuna, and the first thing you might notice when you walk into the restaurant.

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The most interesting items I found was his cuttlefish nigiri.
The Cornish squid is “ICE BATH aged”, meaning that it is floated in ice water, at here, for 5 days.
This prevents the weight of the fish from crushing the cells in the flesh during maturation, and therefore prevents unnecessary water loss.
This prevention of dripping means that it prevents the fish from smelling or rotten, and importantly, from losing its umami flavour.

For a food lover, it’s a great pleasure to be able to taste the different ways of ageing.

It’s like an adventure into that microscopic world of food, a world that is still unknown to us, and which excites me like a child.

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Seabass
Dry aged for 5 days, grilled and served in a small bowl with shari rice.

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AKAMI ｜ TORO ｜ OTORO

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For tuna lovers, the last half of MARU’s Omakase will be like the finale of a fireworks display – you can’t help but cry with delight.
The last phase of the 20course started with fragrant Akami, followed by Chutoro which was as close as possible to Otoro, refined Zuke, and then the absolutely exquisite Otoro.

The carefully selected tuna comes from Balfego in Spain that is aged to achieve the ideal level of maturity and flavours that Chef Taiji Maruyama san envisions.

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THE POWER OF VEGETABLES

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In a sushi restaurant, it’s natural to focus on seafood, but when I muse on Japanese food culture, it’s impossible without thinking about the POWER of VEGETABLES.

With MARU’s “salad”, it is a pleasure to see it presented in the most direct way, and it is really delicious.

“It’s tempting to add something more, but I work hard to do as little as possible”

Chef Maruyama san says.

The vegetables are sourced from Namayasai, a trusted supplier for many top chefs, and are prepared in a way that the flavours come through directly – for example just salt, or just Kombu and water.

And then more joy arrives.

On a palette plate designed by the chef himself, the various sauces are placed like paints, and the vegetables are to be arranged BY US, like an abstract painting.

My work is shown at the first photo.

It is worth mentioning the sauces are also superb.
The five (or six) tastes such as sweetness, bitterness and umami are expressed with rhubarb, Kombu and Shungiku.
I liked the Kombu stock foam most.

The vegetables expressing themselves straight, assorted with the sauce that is also clear to taste, this allows the quality of the ingredients to resonate　powerfully with the intuitive senses.

It is meaningful for us to have a chance to create the dish, as diners are essentially passive.

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I truly amazed by how tasteful and flavourful those British fish and ingredients are…
Each dish is carefully thought, prepared to maximise its Umami, devoted to use up all the essences of the ingredients, and that all are bringing the deepest satisfactions and joy for the eyes, mind and heart…

I am extremely excited to see the birth of such a Japanese restaurant.
This is clearly, I can say, already one of the best Japanese in town.

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For MORE PHOTOS and VIDEO, Visit my Instagram

www.instagram.com/the.japan.set_naoko

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MARU LONDON

18 Shepherd Market, London W1J 7QH

www.marulondon.com

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