The Daily Telegraph
Tim Hayward had never been charmed by the cold perfection of Japanese kaiseki fine dining until, following up a tip from a chef, he made his way to a six-year-old restaurant from chef/proprietor Daisuke Shimoyama in the old County Hall and knew at once he was “in for an uncommon experience”.
“No stereotypical, chillingly calm kitchen samurai, the guy is effusive, even passionate, and his strange dining room swerves decisively away from cliché, cod-Zen sterility into a comfortable, almost bohemian space.”
Among the highlights was a block of rice draped in a piece of A5 Wagyu beef – meat that Tim had previously dismissed as “a gimmick” that had become a “global delusion for chefs and diners”. By showing it fire not to sear it but to free the fats, Shimoyama-san had isolated and demonstrated what is so special about Wagyu. “Mark me down as a begrudging convert and let me cover my head in a cloth to hide my shame from God.”
“At Hannah, I realised [kaiseki] can be hospitable, creative and warm,” Tim concluded. “This is the best kaiseki in London. Go immediately.”
Tim Hayward - 2024-04-21
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