Sachi: Journey to Kyoto at this kappo-style restaurant and rooftop bar

It was not so long ago that a sushi dinner was the height of sophistication for the gastronomes of London, but the boom in popularity of this Japanese cuisine – available everywhere from high street chains to supermarket aisles – has, in recent years, stripped away some of its allure. Not so at Belgravia’s Sachi – a kappo-style restaurant comprising an elegant fine dining restaurant, luxurious rooftop terrace and cigar terrace – tucked away in Belgravia’s Motcomb Street.

Led by head chef Joonsu Park, Sachi brings 2,000 years of tradition and modernisation together in its sumptuously curated menu. Chef Joonsu’s approach ensures that his sushi stylings are not just fresh, healthy and full of flavour but, like all great sushi, has an element of theatricality – the best indication of a well-done dish is in the gasps of delight as it is placed on the table, and Sachi certainly delivers. 

My recent visit to Sachi was with a small informal group. After touring the restaurant – beautifully decorated with light earth-tones and impeccable kanzo atmosphere defined by simplicity and zen, complete with an eight-seat omakase counter – we are led to the restaurant’s rooftop terrace, a bar-restaurant space punctuated by comfortable couches and armchairs gathered around dining tables. Even this touch is cleverly thought out – avoiding the awkward low tables that can make an informal dining experience slightly awkward. 

Related: Leading UK chefs predict the food trends for 2025Inspired by Japan’s Kyoto gardens, the covered terrace is flooded with light in the day and atmospherically lit at night. Verdant plants fill the space with nature and add privacy, while the open bar invites conversation – and dancing, when the bar’s live music and DJs are playing – accompanied by a dizzying list of cocktails and fine spirits and morish sharing dishes for more casual dining.

We begin our evening with a glass of champagne before sampling some of Sachi’s exquisite cocktails. Inspired by the wisdom of Japanese proverbs, Sachi blends Japanese whiskies and sakes in unique mixes designed to invite introspection and celebrate the beauty of Japanese philosophy through taste and experience. Between us, we ruminate on “Three Years on a Stone” – a negroni-like blend of roku, cocchi Americano Aperol and sweet vermouth served in a stone cup; “Bird Leaves the Water Undisturbed” – toki, Aperol, chinotto umeshu and sudachi; and “Ignorance is Bliss” – a secret house concoction described on the menu only as “What you don’t know cannot hurt you”. Next, we are brought sake by the glass in preparation for our first course. Like the bar’s wine menu, its sake and whisky menus are impressive and create opportunities for interesting pairings. 

At the recommendation of our attentive and friendly waiters and sommelier, we put our evening’s meal in the hands of chef Joonsu, who devises an omakase-style offering of his favourite a la carte dishes for us to enjoy. Translated to “I leave it up to you”, Omakase is a chef-led multi-course dinner driven by seasonal produce. At the restaurant’s Omekase counter, just eight seats are available at any time, offering two servings per day. Our truncated version, designed to provide a tour of Sachi’s menu, is no less impressive, beginning with an entrée of simple spiced edamame, padron peppers with inaka honey miso and lime, and wagyu no kara age (wagyu croquettes).

This is followed by a showstopping sashimi moriawase display – a chef’s selection of 18 pieces of freshest cut sashimi and nigiri including bluefin tuna, yellowtail, sea bream, salmon, river eel and prawn, as well as a few vegetarian options. Presented on a multi-tiered sushi plate, complete with clouds of dry ice rolling across the table, this is as visually impressive as it is delicious.

Related: The best vegan-friendly fine dining restaurants to visit this VeganuaryA selection of fresh maki rolls, succulent robata wagyu beef (cooked quickly over hot charcoal) and crisp tempura vegetables – as well as a deliciously light spinach side salad, horenso no sarade – completes our experience. 

Sachi’s culinary approach is inspired by kappo ryori cuisine – meaning ‘to cut and to cook’. It’s a style of dining that crosses boundaries within the world of Japanese dining, sitting somewhere between formal kaiseki dining and casual izakaya-style cuisine. This kappo style empowers chef Joonsu to focus on the freshest seasonal produce – and his precision and flair in their preparation – from rare-breed meat on the robata, to line-caught catch of the day in the sushi and sashimi offerings, all to create a truly fresh and formidable sushi offering in an equally delicious setting. 

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