Up close and personal with the sushi chefs at the new SUMI in Marylebone
Is this related to SUMI in Notting Hill?
Yes, this is their second restaurant. It's from the Creative Restaurant Group, so this was always billed as a 'little sister' to Endo Kuzotoshi's main restaurant. Now it's Christian Onia, who runs the menu here, who was previously at ROKA and Sosharu.
Where is it?
As the name suggests, you'll find it in Marylebone, just off the top end of the High Street. Take the turning at La Brasseria and Agnes B. It's about halfway between Regent's Park and Baker Street tube stations.
This is what you're looking for.
Where's a good place to meet for a drink first?
You're right next door to The Italians wine bar, or there's The Prince Regent on the main street, which isn't a bad boozer.
And where should we sit?
If you're keen on seeing the sushi masters at work, there are four seats up at the sushi counter. Otherwise, this is a bit of a hotchpotch of a room with plenty of cubby holes for friends to catch up. Come the summer, there's also a decent-sized terrace for alfresco dining and the private dining room would also be a good spot if you're looking to book a group dinner in the run-up to Christmas.
The sushi counter at SUMI Marylebone
So what kind of food are we talking about?
They say it "balances Japanese tradition with modern innovation" and if you've already been to the Notting Hill branch, you'll recognise most of the menu here. Think sushi, temaki and bowl food. But there are a few brand new dishes that are exclusive to Marylebone too.
Here's what we had to give you an idea:
Ankimo mousse on toasted shokupan (£9) - from the snacks and bites section, this was a lovely little snack of monkfish liver mousse on shokupan that they make in-house.
Tuna tataki (£18) - lightly smoked with marigold hay, the tuna comes with goma dare and onion ponzu.
Toro and boton ebi (£22 for two pieces) - we had a few of the nigiri, but this is 100% the one you want to order. We loved it so much we ordered it twice.
Temaki - the temaki are a mainstay of the SUMI menu. We went for a mix (£9-£15 each) of scallop with shiso flowers, salmon with purple shiso, yellowtail with white sesame and toru taku. What we should have ordered, but stupidly hadn't realised, was an exclusive dish to here was the double tuna, which uses two different cuts of tuna.
There are two tempura options, one which is a seasonal vegetable selection and one which is based on the catch of the day. The first is market price, the veggie option is £16.
Monkfish tempura - fabulously light and it came with a really good in-house mayo.
The next dish was our only duff order of the day, which is a shame as it's another of the specials they've been touting on the Marylebone menu.
Duck breast on the robata (£36) - this just wasn't an interesting dish. We didn't get any flavour from the robata and it comes on its own with no rice or sides and not enough dressing or sauce.
Room for dessert?
We normally wouldn't go full tilt at desserts in a sushi restaurant, but here at SUMI they felt they were more of a thoughtful inclusion than an add-on.
Kukicha coffee choux bun (£12) a super light choux filled with roasted kuckicha cream.
Mille crepe (£15) layered with a Hibiki whiskey-infused white chocolate ganache. The dessert to go for if you're only ordering one.
What about the drinks list?
Here we'd very much like to draw your attention to the cocktails, not least because we had one of the best martinis of the year here. There is also, as you would imagine, a good sake list on offer at SUMI. Bar manager Eugene, who was previously at MOI, found us a Tamagawa Red Label Junmai which had lovely savoury notes.
Left to right: The must-order Umami martini (£17) made with Sutory Roku Gin, Junmai Daiginjo sake, dashi vermouth and a kabusecha tincture. Sensational. The Akane on the right, featuring tequila, yuzu koshu and beetroot grenadine (£16) was also very good.
Overall thoughts:
It feels like a bit of a no-brainer to say that SUMI is going to do well in Marylebone. We went in very early doors, so service was just finding its feet, but it's a lovely space and would be the perfect pitstop for any shopping trip to Marylebone High Street. We'd go back tomorrow for that amazing tuna and prawn nigiri. That and a martini would be our perfect dish and a drink combo.
More about SUMI
Where is it? 26-27 Devonshire St, London W1U 5HJ
How to book? book online.
Find out more: Visit their website or follow them on Instagram @sumilondon.
Hot Dinners dined as guests of SUMI. Prices correct at time of publication.
Subscribe to be the first to get the news from Hot Dinners
