Test Driving Wagyu Yakiniku USHIO, an omakase experience devoted to wagyu

Sitting around the counter at Wagyu Yakiniku USHIO. Those holes in the counter are where most of the grilling is done (although there is also some light grilling over charcoal). 

What is Wagyu Yakiniku USHIO?

This is a restaurant that originally started in Fukuoka, Japan (they still have a restaurant there) before making its way to London, quietly opening late last month. As the name indicates, the main focus here is on Wagyu beef, specifically Japanese Akami Wagyu. These are the leaner cuts of Wagyu that are less marbled, although frankly they still look way more marbled than any steak we've had recently.

Here, the main focus is on their Wagyu omakase menu, where you're taken through different cuts of the meat. It's certainly a presentation of Wagyu that we haven't seen in London before. 

Where is it?

You'll find them on Charlotte Street, taking over the space that used to be Palms of Goa, with Goodge Street being the closest station. 

The chef prepares the cuts of the day to start with. 

What's the layout here?

If you've been to any omakase restaurant in London, you'll see an immediately familiar layout here. The restaurant is predominantly counter-based, with space for 10 people around the counter, where you'll see everything prepared in front of you. There is a separate private room at the back, but frankly the counter is where you want to be. 

And what can we expect when seated up there?

Once again, if you're familiar with an omakase restaurant, you'll recognise elements of that on the menu, even though beef replaces all the sushi. The tasting menu is £95, and for that you'll get a starter (which will be changing regularly), a palate-cleansing salad (with really good house-made dressing), and then multiple cuts of Wagyu, all taken from various parts of the cow and served in different ways. 

On our visit, we started with a raw take on Wagyu that was lightly seared on the shichirin grill first.

Think of this as the tartare version of the Wagyu meal - the cut really lends itself to a raw approach.

After that, it's onto the cooked part of the meal. In front of you are several grills built into the counter, so you'll see all the meat you're eating during the meal cut, prepared and cooked on those grills, then handed over the counter.  

Just some of the Wagyu cuts, ready for grilling.

And this is what you're served. The cuts will change regularly, showcasing different parts of the animal. Preparations are also different, with some salt-grilled and others tare-glazed. The accompaniments change too, from daikon pickles to soy braised onions.

Your handy guide to where your Wagyu is coming from. 

After the main event, is there anything else to highlight?

If you haven't had enough Wagyu at this stage, you can go even further. There's a whole Wagyu steak (33p a gram) and a Wagyu ribeye pizza with miso sauce (£18). As for ourselves, we went with the following:

Fukuoka speciality Wagyu beef tendon curry, served in two sizes: regular (£10) or half (£5). This is the half-size and we'd strongly recommend it for a fiver. 

And finishing up with a matcha choux puff (£6)

On the drinks side, there is a three-drink pairing for £36, which is a mix of sake and wine, and we think that's the route to go (although you can go all-wine or all-sake if you want). Bottles start at £48 (although you can go a lot higher than that, obviously) and there's also a shochu selection and gins from Kusunoki Distillery, alongside plenty of soft options. 

Overall thoughts.

There's nothing else quite like Wagyu Yakiniku USHIO in London right now. As we've mentioned, if you love omakase meals but are looking for something a little different, this is an easy recommendation. From the room design to the attentive service and theatrical nature of the meal, not to mention the excellent Wagyu, it's a delight.