Dining Out: Aki London
There’s a quiet confidence to Aki London. Set within One Cavendish Square, just moments from the bustle of Oxford Circus, it’s the kind of restaurant that feels like it’s been there forever — even though it’s brand new. The space, a restored Grade II-listed banking hall, has been transformed with a £15 million redesign by Francis Sultana, and it shows. It’s grand without being showy, elegant without being cold. High ceilings and plaster trees frame the room, while soft cloud motifs and kimono fabrics lend texture and warmth. There’s a sense that everything — from the palette to the plating — has been considered.
Aki is the first international outpost from Malta’s Lifestyle Group, who’ve already earned a Michelin mention with their original restaurant in Valletta. For their London debut, they’ve doubled down on what they do best: elevated contemporary Japanese cuisine with Mediterranean warmth. It’s an ambitious idea, but one that feels right at home in Marylebone’s growing fine dining scene.
The concept is Kyoto-inspired farm-to-table dining, with a particular focus on freshness and balance. Much of the produce is grown through Aki’s in-house micro-farms, including aquatic farming that uses recyclable coconut husk instead of pesticides. It’s an impressive, if quietly delivered, commitment to sustainability — one that echoes through the restaurant’s menu and philosophy.
When we visit, the tone is calm and assured. The service is measured but friendly, the music low and unobtrusive. It’s the sort of setting that encourages you to take your time. We start with the Japanese spinach salad — fresh, bright and nutty with a sesame dressing — before moving to the tuna tataki, beautifully balanced with fennel tofu cream and marinated ikura. The presentation is refined but not overthought; everything feels purposeful.
The wagyu beef and fermented black garlic gyoza arrive next, the truffle onion miso adding richness and depth. They’re delicate parcels of umami, perfectly seared and balanced by the sweetness of the miso. Bluefin tuna follows, served with Japanese pickles, wasabi sesame and tomato miso. It’s one of those dishes that disappears quickly — the kind that you immediately wish you’d ordered twice.
The soft-shell crab, crisp and golden, is paired with roasted peppers and cucumber shiso, a reminder of how texture plays such a key role in Japanese cooking. The sakura noboshi prawn tempura, served with daikon oroshi and ohba tensu broth, is light yet indulgent, while the tender stem broccoli with satsuma yuzu dressing and wasabi furikake is a perfect palate cleanser between courses.
By the time the Lumina lamb cutlets arrive — yuzu natto shisho marinade, fermented kimchi, herb miso, ume boshi — it’s clear that Aki isn’t just about style or setting. The kitchen understands restraint; every flavour has its place. Even the Japanese millefeuille that rounds off the meal, made with sobacha, whipped vanilla ganache and aged soy caramel, feels quietly sophisticated — a dessert that nods to tradition without falling into cliché.
The cocktail list deserves its own mention. Each drink is inspired by Japanese seasonality, built around elements like yuzu, miso and shochu. The Umebiki — a blend of Akashi Tai sake umeshu, Italicus, plum and shiso reduction, sparkling wine and plum air foam — is fresh, fizzy and just the right side of sweet. It pairs beautifully with the lighter dishes, while the Hishio, a reimagined Negroni made with homemade ponzu, offers a more complex, savoury edge. Both drinks are as visually striking as the space itself.
Aki’s atmosphere evolves through the evening. Early on, the main dining room glows softly under its sculptural lighting, the energy refined but relaxed. Later, guests drift downstairs to Kiyori, the vault bar hidden beneath the restaurant. Once a bank vault, now an intimate lounge with its own DJ sets and a discreet VIP entrance, it’s a space that feels both secretive and social — the sort of late-night spot you’d rather keep to yourself. The cocktails continue the restaurant’s meticulous approach, each one crafted with balance and intent.
Beyond its culinary and aesthetic appeal, Aki’s real success lies in its sense of cohesion. Every detail, from Sultana’s design to the presentation of the dishes, contributes to a wider story — one of craftsmanship, cultural dialogue, and hospitality done with purpose. It’s a restaurant that reflects where London dining is headed: ambitious, globally minded, and deeply respectful of tradition.
There’s also a notable Maltese influence running through the experience — subtle but present. Honey sourced from Malta, one of the island’s treasured exports, appears in select dishes, a small but meaningful nod to the restaurant’s origins. That cross-cultural approach extends to the art, too. Aki houses contemporary pieces curated by Polina Sulina, featuring artists such as Yoshirotten, Ryan Gander and Bouke de Vries. The result is a dining room that feels less like a restaurant and more like an art space that happens to serve impeccable food.
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