Tobi Masa lands at The Chancery Rosewood

One might be forgiven for thinking that headline-grabbing Carbone is the only big-ticket American import at the new Chancery Rosewood, the Eero Saarinen-designed former US Embassy turned all-suite hotel. But while Mario Carbone’s razzle-dazzle Italian is hoovering up the column inches, upstairs is a rather more serene dining room from another Manhattan-based chef: Masayoshi ‘Masa’ Takayama, who holds three Michelin stars for his Columbus Circle sushi restaurant, Masa (among Wallpaper’s pick of classic New York restaurants).

Wallpaper* dines at Tobi Masa, London

The mood: craftsmanship and contrasts

Masa was the restaurant that convinced New Yorkers that perching on a stool at a sushi counter with a pair of chopsticks could be every bit as refined as sitting at a table dressed with starched napery and polished cutlery. There’s a counter at this London outpost too, but also a dining room featuring inward-facing banquettes for guests whose idea of sparkling conversation isn’t asking the sushi chef where they source their tuna.

‘Tobi Masa’s design inspiration was extracted from the envelope of Eero Saarinen’s former American Embassy building,’ says Alex Reed, design director of AvroKO London, the global studio behind the restaurant’s look. ‘The space embraces contrast – the formal rigour of Saarinen’s architecture softened through refined materials inspired by Asian craftsmanship. Every detail creates an atmosphere of ritual and intimacy that complements the artistry of the culinary offering.’

The food: pure flavours, gilded edges

The Manhattan Masa was credited with reinventing New York’s sushi scene when it opened in 2004, blending Japanese technique with Western luxury. These days, you can’t move in Mayfair for omakase and kaiseki, but there’s still a thrill to be had from the chef’s combination of Japan-flown fish and salad leaves gilded with extravagant adornments such as truffle and foie gras. Yet for all the opulence, each bite-sized delight mainlines a startling purity of flavour.

There’s more to the place than toro-caviar maki rolls and A5 Wagyu nigiri, though: Peking duck tacos and Masa Surimi – ‘pasta’ made from seafood – are NYC signatures that have crossed the pond, while the simplest sushi proves that Masa is a master of minimalism and an expert in extracting the essential character from exceptional-quality fish.

‘Tobi’, by the way, is the Japanese word for ‘flight’; take wing before dinner with a drink in the rooftop Eagle Bar, in the shadow of the old embassy’s gigantic gilded aluminium eagle.

Tobi Masa is located at The Chancery Rosewood, 30 Grosvenor Square, London, W1K 6AN, UK.