Soho has got a new spot for steak
Japanese restaurant group Kanpai Classic, which was founded in Taipei two decades ago and now has numerous sites in Taiwan and China, has opened its first UK location in Soho. It may look understated – a sleek, minimalist black exterior gives way to a sleek, minimalist black interior (save for a large wine fridge with some pretty fancy bottles inside) – but there’s a huge amount of detail here.
Kanpai Classic is about two things; wagyu beef and yakiniku (that’s cooking bitesize pieces of food over a charcoal flame), so if you don’t eat red meat this is one to swerve. But for carnivores, a veritable feast awaits. Company founder Soji Hiraide has made it his mission to bring the finest wagyu to his customers and showcase a wider range of cuts, so you’re getting meat here that you won’t find anywhere else in the UK.
Eat This
Executive chef Masatada Ogata and head chef Nicolo Bolognesi, formerly of Nobu Hotel Portman Square, launched the restaurant with a 14-course omakase menu, though there are now both a shorter set menu and a la carte options available. The omakase menu is pricey at £158 a head but it’s the best way to experience the restaurant’s philosophy – and you do get fed some serious beef.
You’re eased into the meat feast with some raw plates, including wagyu tartare with celeriac and caviar, wagyu carpaccio with walnut vinaigrette, and wagyu sushi (yes even a piece of squid nigiri comes with a layer of beef between the fish and the rice), before the the tabletop charcoal grill gets fired up and the staff get cooking.
It’s then a parade of various cuts of wagyu, presented and explained before being grilled and served, and you really can taste the difference between them. Standouts for us were the beef tongue, which you dip in salt and lemon juice; an unbelievably buttery slice of tri-tip (specially requested from a supplier in Japan), brushed with yakiniku sauce and served with plump Nanatsuboshi rice from Hokkaido; rib finger dipped in spicy miso and served in a lettuce wrap; and a richly marbled A5 steak, almost half fat to meat, served with rock salt and proper wasabi.
That section of the menu is broken up with a wagyu bite of the day which, for us, was an excellent bao bun filled with shredded wagyu, peanuts and pickles. The kamameshi dish of the day, a traditional Japanese comfort food dish made with more of that sublime rice, chicken and dashi broth, was a lovely, simple way to finish before dessert.
Drink This
Just as Kanpai Classic takes its wagyu seriously, a lot of care and attention has been put into the drinks list. The restaurant works with Japan’s Masuizumi Brewery and stocks ten exclusive sakes from the brand. You can order sake, wine and cocktails as you please but if you’re doing the omakase menu, there’s a drinks pairing option that includes a Lallier champagne, a La Guistiniana Gavi for the raw dishes, a Spy Valley Pinot Noir and two sakes.
Why Go
If you hit up all the big steak restaurants and consider yourself something of a beef connoisseur, you really can’t skip Kanpai Classic. The quality of the beef is right up there and the staff are extremely knowledgeable about the ingredients, so you get a bit of an education too. A restaurant specialising in wagyu is always going to come with a punchier price tag than most, but with the a la carte offering you can try something pretty special without totally blowing a hole in your wallet.
Key Information
Address | 147-149 Wardour Street, London W1F 8WD
For more information | @kanpaiclassic_london