Donabe
Top chef Daisuke Shimoyama's elegant little spot specialises in Japanese gourmet clay pot rice.
Top chef Daisuke Shimoyama's elegant little spot specialises in Japanese gourmet clay pot rice.
Wed–Sun 12pm–2pm and 5pm–9pm
Closed Mon and Tue
Taking the place of the Japanese fine dining omakase restaurant Hannah, Donabe is a similarly refined spot led by the same top chef and sake sommelier Daisuke Shimoyama, that has turned its attention towards a la carte donabe-inspired dining.
Similar to earthenware or stoneware bowls, donabe is the Japanese name for a special kind of clay pot. Uniquely designed to slowly retain heat, preparing rice in these special pots ensures that it releases copious umami flavours.
The restaurant's authentic and gourmet take on the donabe experience focuses on showcasing the very best available produce. When it comes to fish – only the very finest will do! Look out for donabe (clay pot) cooked rice dishes topped with sea bream, eel, crab and salmon.
There are also special donburi (rice bowl dishes) such as the Smoked Negitoro Don with wild tuna and salmon roe and the Chirashi Don with smoked trout, negitoro and salmon roe.
As is standard from Chef Daisuke, there’s a focus on quality produce and bringing a truly fine dining Japanese flair to the neighbourhood. “Influenced by the popularity and good quality of various rice dishes such as Paella and Risotto, we have now turned our focus on properly introducing our Japanese seasonal rice culture to London as well”.