Having established a stream of successful restaurants abroad — most recently The Kensington Street Social at Sydney’s Old Clare Hotel — Jason Atherton has returned to London to open his seventh restaurant in the capital, the izakaya-styled Sosharu. Helmed by Executive Chef Alex Craciun, who temporarily relocated to Kyoto in preparation for the launch, the restaurant offers casual yet refined Japanese cuisine made with seasonal British ingredients. Diners can expect small dishes taken from different specialities from the country such as sashimi, temaki and hibachi grill, alongside a litany of innovative plates, like chashu pork belly, udon and king oyster, finished off with imaginative desserts like apple pie with miso butterscotch.
Housed in Clerkenwell’s Turnmill Building, the design is provided by Shanghai-based studio Neri & Hu, and plays on the concept of Japanese domesticity, with three distinct areas — a dining room, chef’s table and a lower level bar named Seven Tales — wholly defined by function and linked by a layout mirroring that of a Japanese house. Specifically looking towards the country’s traditional minka homes for inspiration, Neri & Hu have adopted their abstracted timber structures in the main dining room, as well as adding sliding doors, long stone counters and high Japanese denim curtains elsewhere. Downstairs in the basement bar, Sosharu takes on a more urban guise and reflects Japan’s subcultures by way of customised wallpaper depicting golden age movements, and references to art and architecture. The cultural allusions do not stop there, with bar manager Geoff Robinson’s drinks menu making frequent nods to Japanese concepts and philosophies for a selection of potent tinctures that offer depth every sense.
INFORMATION
ADDRESS
63 Clerkenwell Road
VIEW GOOGLE MAPS (opens in new tab)
-
These London spas are utterly relaxing urban escapesThese London spas offer transformative treatments in awe-inspiring spaces for total relaxation in the midst of the big city
-
Max Richter: ‘Visual art culture is wide open in a way that classical music, unfortunately, sort of isn't’
Hot on the heels of Max Richter’s new album, ‘Sleep: Tranquility Base’, and recently opened multi-arts haven in rural Oxfordshire, we speak to the acclaimed composer about creating a sonic antidote to complex times
-
Discover all the Rolex watches released at Watches and Wonders 2023
Rolex unveils bold new additions to its iconic watch families
-
London tour: from design shopping to exciting dining, architecture and art
Our London tour is a guide to the city’s must-sees of the moment, from Battersea Power Station to a hyperlocal design hub and the best bars and restaurants
-
Cosiest London cocktail bars for this frosty winter season
The best London cocktail bars for winter, from a fairy-lit terrace in Fitzrovia to snug surrounds in Covent Garden
-
Villa One at the One & Only Palmilla — Los Cabos, Mexico
-
Notting Hill’s Sister Jane Townhouse is a theatre of whimsy
Sella Concept devise an eccentric, multi-experiential home for fashion brand, Sister Jane
-
Holmes Hotel carves out its own corner on London’s Chiltern Street — London, UK
-
Aparthotels: the new breed of accommodation offering the best of both worlds
Aparthotels are big business. We take a look at Native, the design-led brand with big plans
-
Martim — Wroclaw, Poland
-
Tattersalls Hotel — Armidale, Australia
