Its name meaning ‘sunlight filtering through leaves’, Komorebi is the atmospheric new Japanese restaurant at the biophilic haven that is The Roof Gardens – the exclusive members’ club with a vast, verdant roof terrace atop the former Derry & Toms department store building on Kensington High Street, London.
Long a haunt of the glitterati, the rooftop gardens and structures have lived several lives: after the department store’s closure in the 1970s, the site was part of Biba’s fashion store, then home to Régine’s nightclub, and later Babylon restaurant under Richard Branson’s long-held lease.
Following an extensive restoration, the gardens reopened in 2024 under new ownership, reasserting their position as one of the city’s most singular elevated addresses. The setting is shaped by a lush and varied collection of tree species, and was first planted in 1938 by landscape architect Ralph Hancock, who was also responsible for New York’s Rockefeller Center gardens.
Today, under the motto ‘Head in the Clouds, Feet on the Dance Floor’, The Roof Gardens is home to multiple dining and social spaces discreetly integrated into the landscape, alongside a cultural programme centred on intimate gatherings, talks, film, music, and conversation. Komorebi, the newest restaurant, is reason enough to apply for membership.
Wallpaper* dines at Komorebi, London
The mood: between garden and skyline
The interior is the work of Roman and Williams founders Stephen Alesch and Robin Standefer, whose sensitivity to material, proportion and atmosphere reflects a longstanding engagement with Japanese aesthetics. Previous projects, including the Aoyama Building in Tokyo, and ongoing collaborations with Japanese artists through Roman and Williams Guild and Guild Gallery inform the approach.
Light is the primary organising element. Floor-to-ceiling windows open onto wide views of the London skyline, shifting from soft daylight to nocturnal reflections across the city’s façades. A wraparound terrace, opening in spring, overlooks the Woodland Garden, while inside, gentle level changes and nested dining zones create a sense of flow without enclosure. Architectural geometry – faceted ceilings, angular seating and calibrated lighting – anchors the composition.
Materiality leans towards the tactile and polished. Velvet banquettes with soft welting and tufting sit alongside vintage 1930s French chairs, reupholstered in silk sourced from historic Japanese mills. Custom stained-glass screens reference both art deco ornament and Japanese partitioning, offering moments of separation without disrupting the room’s visual continuity.
At the centre of the space, an eight-seat omakase counter offers a seasonally responsive menu. Opposite, the back bar introduces a more graphic note, with detailing inspired by hikihaku, the traditional Japanese weaving technique that incorporates metallic threads into textiles such as obis. Tucked behind sliding doors at the rear, Kumo is a private dining room with its own bar.
The food: elemental and smoke-kissed
Komorebi’s menu is designed for sharing and discovery, driven by precision, ingredients and technique. Developed by chef director Tom Griffiths, the cooking moves between Edomae-style sushi, lightly smoked produce and mains grilled over binchotan charcoal, rooted in tradition and sharpened by modern techniques.
Plates arrive on exquisite ceramics. Opening snacks set the tone: edamame is reimagined as a crisp kueh pai tee, lifted by green apple, yuzu, soy and a flash of wasabi. From the small plates, the coal-seared tuna otoro with sesame, peanut and barley miso is a standout, as is the A5 wagyu tataki, lifted by koji and burnt onion ponzu. Mains tend towards deeper and smokier flavours. Black cod comes perfectly glazed, its richness offset by peanut and barley miso, while the mushroom rice pot – eringi, matsutake and shiitake – delivers earthy comfort.
Cocktails are handled with equal precision. From the ten signature drinks, don’t miss the Fuji, which blends tequila reposado with plum sake, Cocchi Rosa, agave, rose water and Mount Fuji bitters; the Sora, which is darker and more aromatic, combining dark rum with buntan pomelo extract, apricot brandy, plum, jasmine syrup and citrus oils. Pair these with the chef’s choice of usuzukuri, a traditional Japanese sashimi technique for slicing firm white fish into thin, almost translucent pieces.
Komorebi is located at The Roof Gardens, 99 Kensington High St, London W8 5SA, UK