Taka Mayfair to relaunch as omakase-style restaurant Maru
Set to launch next month on 15 June, Maru will be led by Taka executive chef Taiji Maruyama and serve a 20-course 'farm-to-table' tasting menu, presented omakase style, for £160 per person.
A supplementary drink pairing to include wine, Champagne, sake and tea, will also be available.
The restaurant will feature an 'intimate' 10-cover counter, with the restaurant only taking 10 bookings in total each evening.
Maru's chefs will operate behind the counter, serving all aspects of the meal to their guests, including the drinks.
The omakase menu will be influenced by what Maruyama decides to serve and by what ingredients are seasonally and locally available, in line with the farm-to-table approach, with the Japanese culinary technique of dry ageing fish featuring prominently across the different dishes.
Tuna, brill and trout, and seafood such as squid will be aged, not unlike meat, in custom-made display fridges for between three and eight days, in order to preserve and concentrate the flavour.
Dishes set to feature on the daily-changing menu may include eight day dry-aged tuna; Sussex Namayasai farm garden salad (pictured); and Brixham squid nigiri with Exmoor caviar.
Taka opened what was its debut site on Shepherd Market in Mayfair back in 2017.
The group opened a second site in London’s Marylebone last year, which will continue to operate under the original Taka concept.