Kurobuta, or "KB" as it has affectionately come to be known, is a bold, rock-and-roll take on what could be described as contemporary style 'Japanese Tapas'. The winning formula comprises a creative, playful and inventive menu of small plates bursting with big flavours in a cool and thoughtfully laid out dining room.
It is the brainchild of Australian born Scott Hallsworth, a former executive chef at Nobu, and his cool take on the modern day Japanese dining experience proving to be a refreshing and very welcome hit on the Knightsbridge culinary scene. You won't find any brutal Japanese minimalism here - you'll simply find exquisite, reimagined Japanese food.
It is now located on the 5th Floor at Harvey Nichols, following the success of its popular sister outlets on Chelsea's Kings Road and Kendal Street in Kensington.
The space is vast and the interior is trendy. With oversized industrial light bulbs, upbeat music and a hip service team, I felt as though it could be likened to a Japanese Pub, or at least how one would imagine it to be.
The large tables and American diner-style booths along with the quirky menu are designed for sharing which brings a real element of fun to the experience. The menu is helpfully split into sections with quirky sub-headings such as "junk food Japan" and "something crunchy" as well as the more simplistic "Robata" and "Maki".
In keeping with sharing - the intended concept - my companion and I selected a couple of appealing sounding dishes from each section as well as a few recommended by our enthusiastic and helpful Austrailian waitress.
Firstly, whilst perusing the food menu, we sampled a couple of snack items including the Edamame with Sake, lemon and bitter maldon salt, along with Sweet potato java ko fries served with a tangy and creamy spicy shiso Mayo. I must say, I have never had edamame so morish and my companion heartily agreed.
In reference to the "junk food Japan" subtitle on the menu, it can be said that we knew at this point that there was going to be nothing "junk" about it and the tone was set for the remainder of our lunch.
We were served a range of modern Japanese classics which were all given there own unique 'KB-style' twist. The yellowtail sashimi for example, was served with a kizami wasabi salsa and yuzo soy and the Soft-shell crab tempura with the spicy shiso mayo and red jalapeño, and tuna sashimi pizza with truffle ponzu and green chillies.
I was also pleasantly surprised on sampling a new take on the current superfood choice (alongside avocado, naturally) a sumptuously plush, vivid green Curly kale salad that was served doused in a delicious sesame ponzu dressing.
Other standout show-stoppers were the Tea-smoked lamb chops, served in a delicious spicy Korean miso sauce, and the fried hot wings in 'KO' sauce - indeed, it was 'knock out' not only by name. No Kurobuta selection would be complete without them, or the Wagyu beef sliders for that matter.
The dishes arrive as and when they are ready so there is a steady stream of exciting new arrivals, each as flavour-popping as the next, making it overall a very inventive and enjoyable dining experience.
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