Modern Japanese restaurant Kino has opened its doorways on Draycott Avenue, a brief stroll from London’s buzzy South Kensington. The expertise begins beneath the watchful lens of Daidō Moriyama, whose ‘Tattooed Woman in Shinjuku’ units a moody, cosmopolitan tone. Whereas Kino’s staid interiors are removed from the neon-lit Tokyo district in Moriyama’s picture, they completely seize the contrasts one experiences when visiting the Japanese capital.
Wallpaper* dines at Kino, London
The temper: ascetic minimalism
Daidō Moriyama’s ‘Tattooed Woman in Shinjuku’
(Picture credit score: Sofia de la Cruz)
When you’ve got the urge for food for a transportive restaurant, Kino is a must-visit. Studio APAA approached the challenge with the concept of ‘ascetic minimalism’, or intentional simplicity. ‘We tried very delicately to fill the house with the spirit of Japan utilizing up to date artwork and Japanese antiques,’ say founders Alexey Penyuk and Anastasia Artemeva.
(Picture credit score: Sofia de la Cruz)
(Picture credit score: Sofia de la Cruz)
The eating room is anchored by a tactile bar island carved from volcanic stone, offset with a uncooked metal countertop. Overhead, rough-hewn wood beams draw the gaze upward, including delicate architectural drama. Furnishings turns into a cultural bridge: Isamu Noguchi’s Akari lanterns solid a delicate glow alongside Santa & Cole’s candle-like lamps, whereas Tobia Scarpa’s Dialogo chairs meet an origami-inspired desk by Charlotte Perriand for Cassina.
(Picture credit score: Sofia de la Cruz)
The meals: elevated Japanese crowd-pleasers
(Picture credit score: Courtesy of Kino)
Led by Latvian-born, Japan-loving chef Pavel Baranovs, who beforehand spearheaded the Pan-Asian restaurant UBA at Hart Resort in east London, Kino meshes Japanese strategies with a delicate Japanese European undertone. ‘The flavour is daring however managed, and each ingredient is used with respect. It’s about stripping issues again, specializing in seasonality, fermentation and provenance, and letting the meals converse for itself,’ says Baranovs.
(Picture credit score: Courtesy of Kino)
Wagyu udon soup arrives layered with bamboo shoots, spring onion and shiitake, whereas Imperial black cod is glazed in candy yuzu miso, its richness reduce by citrus brightness. Elsewhere, pristine nigiri, sashimi and rolls underline the kitchen’s precision. To complete, a matcha tiramisu – lifted with Suntory whisky and matcha-soaked ladyfingers – presents a playful, up to date observe, echoed in a cocktail listing served in characterful glassware.
(Picture credit score: Courtesy of Kino)
Kino is positioned at 96 Draycott Ave, London SW3 3AD, United Kingdom
Supply: Wallpaper
