Open Mon–Sat 6.30pm–1.30am, Sun 6.30pm–12.30am; Lunch Tue–Sun 12.30pm–3.30pm
Celebrity hangout and Knightsbridge hotspot Nozomi has started offering a home or office delivery service of their fine Japanese cuisine. Their full a-la-carte menu is available including sushi, nigiri, sashimi, and cooked fish and meat dishes, all paired with Nozomi’s secret dressings and delicious sauces.
Famed dishes include the Nozomi crab salad, Sea Urchin Sashimi, black cod with Nozomi miso and pickled daikon, and Wagyu ribeye. There is also an enviable selection of fine wines, champagnes, and spirits, sakes and beers.
Here at West London Living we ordered the Chilean seabass, black cod, and a selection of sashimi. Chilean sea bass is actually a marketing term for the endangered Patagonian toothfish. Despite the ethical arguments against its sale and consumption, I’ve enjoyed it several times in California. It’s the most exquisite, tender, delectable fish but hard to find in London – to my knowledge Nobu, Hakkasan, Zuma and Gilgamesh are the only other London restaurants offering up its silky, buttery delights. For this reason I felt compelled to try Nozomi’s (£32) fillet. The portion was a decent size, marinated in spicy miso and baked on cedar wood. The flesh was tender and flavoursome but it didn’t melt in the mouth in quite the same way as Californian versions. It was also delivered almost stone cold. It had just a hint of warmth remaining, belaying the fact it was intended to be served hot.
The same went for the black cod (£29). Less tender (cod always is), but served with the fantastic Nozomi miso and pickled daikon – it was cold yet flavoursome.
The sashimi selection (£36) was passable. The salmon was particularly good, the tuna mediocre, and an unidentifiable white fish underwhelming. The accompanying ginger, wasabi and soy sauce were all decent.
Given that both hot dishes were unacceptably cold, and the cooked fish had been knocked about so much on its way to us it was stuck to the lid of its box, with the sashimi scattered and clumped in the corner of its box, the presentation wasn’t what we’d expect for a restaurant of its caliber. Had we dined inside, I doubt dishes in this state would ever be brought to the table. The fish was tasty, but for such a prestigious restaurant and the demographic it targets, there were a few too many hiccups for the price.
