Nakimushi will be located in a townhouse close to Notting Hill Gate tube station on Kensington Mall and is the result of a collaboration between two hugely popular residencies at owner Chris D’Sylva’s luxary food retail space Supermarket of Dreams: Urchin, created by chef Yuji Shimokawa Kelly, and Robin’s Ramen by chef Robin Kosuge.
Spanning three floors, the venue will house two distinct but complementary concepts.
The ground floor will feature a fast-paced ramen bar with an open kitchen and shared seating, serving Tokyo-style bowls alongside a small selection of cold starters and snacks, including hogget skewers with yuzu kosho labneh and oregano, pork and lobster gyoza with cauliflower and chilli oil, and Kosuge’s signature lobster ramen and classic chashu pork belly ramen with Basque chicken broth and ajitama.
The upper-floor restaurant and bar will take a broader look at hot Japanese cooking, while ramen remains a central part of the menu. Dishes will include grilled lobster chazuke, made with native blue Welsh lobster from Lockdown Lobsters grilled over coals and finished with lobster and tomato oil, as well as aged Japanese Black Holstein beef from North Yorkshire, reared on fermented grains, grass and corn, cooked over a bespoke robata and served with artichoke sauce, beef jus, kimizu and angel hair fries.
“With Nakimushi, we wanted to create a space where people can enjoy our approach to Japanese cooking in two different ways under one roof,” says Shimokawa Kelly.
Kosuge adds: “It’s also an opportunity for our team to explore their own heritage, taking what we do further while continuing to work with the producers we trust.”
The opening will cement owner Chris D’Sylva’s status as one of west London’s most influential restaurateurs.
Originally from Australia, D’Sylva launched the Notting Hill Fish + Meat Shop in 2019.
During the pandemic, he launched Supermarket of Dreams, a luxury grocery concept that hand-picked and sold premium produce from London’s top restaurants after they were forced to close their doors.
In 2022, he launched Dorian, which was billed as an “anti-Notting Hill” bistro for locals.