Thanks to the likes of Endo at the Rotunda, Roji, Sushi Kanesaka, Maru, Taku and Sushi Tetsu, high-end omakase isn’t a rare thing in London
But there is one in Notting Hill that’s offering something unique. Juno, hidden above Japanese-Mexican fusion restaurant Los Mochis, is the smallest omakase experience in London and also the first one in the world to be gluten and nut-free.
Run by Los Mochis Executive Chef Leonard Tanyag (ex-OKKU and Zuma) and Head Sushi Chef Han (ex-Nobu and Roka), Juno mirrors the downstairs restaurant by incorporating Mexican flavours, particularly through inventive seasonings made in-house. As omakase means ‘I leave it up to you’, the chefs base the 15 courses around the freshest fish they have available to them at the time. Not only do Leonard and Han present all the seafood to you before anything gets served, they talk through the preparation of each course in detail, so it really is an interactive eating experience.
The first burst of dishes is where you can really see and taste the Mexican influences. Thin slices of madai (red bream) came sat on a lime aioli and finished with a Oaxacan-inspired chicatana (that’s flying ant) and arbol chilli seasoning; kinmedai (snapper) was served with cucumber as aguachile, with a citrusy hit from a grasshopper seasoning; and chutoro (medium fatty tuna) was spiced up with a jalapeno sauce, garlic chips and wasabi leaves.
Then it’s onto the nigiri section, which leans more into Japanese traditions, though still with some Juno twists, like serving pickled Mexican radish alongside the traditional palate cleanser of pickled ginger, and adding more homemade seasonings to the fish.
For us, the highlights from this section of the menu were sweet Hokkaido scallop with yuzu salt; super creamy botan ebi (prawn) with green perilla salt; vibrant beetroot-cured squid, seared and finished with smoked salt and yuzu kosho; otoro (fatty tuna) served two ways, first as nigiri dusted with matcha to cut through the butteriness of the fish, and then as a handroll with ponzu and caviar; and seared snow crab, avocado, and cucumber wrapped in soy sesame paper, almost like a taco. The final nigiri, and final savoury course of the night, was an A5 wagyu nigiri, seasoned with a salt made from agave worm and seared using molten bone marrow to finish with a real umami flourish.
There’s just one sweet course to finish, a vivid raspberry granita presented alongside a matcha tiramisu, allowing you to move between fresh and fruity and earthy and creamy combinations as you like.
A decent omakase experience doesn’t come cheap – at Juno, it’s £180 per person, with the option to add on sake, wine or agave pairings – but if you’re looking for a blowout meal, and you wanna try an omakase unlike any other in town, it’s well worth nabbing one of the seats.
2-4 Farmer Street, London, W8 7SN
losmochis.co.uk