An exclusive, elegant and atmospheric restaurant, Nozomi is a magnet for the upscale South West London set.

The Venue
Part cocktail and DJ bar, part restaurant, Nozomi is located on Beauchamp Place in Knightsbridge. The ground floor houses the bar, with several seating areas, whilst the restaurant is located up a small flight of stairs along with some more tables a bit further up. Decor is simple, clean and understated, but instead of arty minimalism found in many Japanese restaurants, the look here is mainly neutral, clearly not wanting to distract from the true stars of the show – the food and the guests.

The Atmosphere
Nozomi has a regular clientele that turn up every week or so to kick-start their night out before swanning off to nightclubs like Boujis and Cuckoo Club, and as such the feeling is that of anticipation. Couples try to take advantage of the dim lights and have a romantic dinner, but most of the diners are groups out to celebrate, be it a birthday or a business deal. It’s not hard to imagine them gathered around VIP tables several hours later at a club nearby - just substitute the sake and sushi for cocktails and Champagne. After about 8pm a DJ starts playing, and whilst it’s loud it serves to energise the atmosphere rather than put a damper on conversations. Service is impressively knowledgeable about the menu, good with recommendations on both food and drink.

The Food
It’s fair to say that your eyes will immediately stray to the prices on the menu at an exclusive place like this, and if you’re expecting something along the lines of very, very expensive, you’d be right. This is clearly not an issue to the clientele, however, who order dish after dish as fast as the kitchen can make them, which is pretty quick. The food is Japanese, with an emphasis on the creative rather than the traditional.

Diners can choose from sushi (pieces, mixed platters and rolls) or the traditional three course options, or a mix of both. The small plates can serve as starters and include a salmon tataki (£9.90) and the Nozomi foie gras (£14.50). The foie gras is small but perfectly formed, with mousse-style dollops on top of a crisp, delicate lotus root slice. The richness of the foie gras (marinated in plum wine and sake) is a perfect match for the lightness of the lotus root. Salmon tataki is a much larger portion and can probably be shared by two, with a pile of fresh salmon slices on top of a bed of kiwi. Instead of this being the overly sweet concoction that you might imagine, it’s a nice balance of flavours and is helped along with a sharp yuzu and sesame dressing.

New Zealand langoustine tempura (£22) may have travelled quite a bit but doesn’t suffer for the long distance. The langoustine is meaty and succulent, covered in a crackly tempura that’s the perfect level of crunchiness. This is served with a large dish of yuzu and chilli aioli, which although is a strangely pink colour proves a well spiced match to the sweetness of the langoustines. From the list of about ten sushi rolls, two standouts are the Nozomi roll (£11.50) and the hamachi tempura roll (£10.20). The hamachi (yellowtail) is lightly fried and packed in alongside spring onions and chilli to give the roll a clean flavour that stops it from being too heavy. For those who can’t quite make up their minds, the Nozomi roll is a good choice as it’s full of nearly every seafood item that usually pops up on sushi menus, from salmon to eel. It makes for a good combination of flavours, with all the different fillings complementing each other well.

After the solid sushi and a la carte dishes, desserts are a little disappointing. Passion fruit brulee (£7.70) is really just a creme brulee with sliced passion fruit on the side, and the creme brulee itself isn’t as firm as it could be. Green tea fondant (£9.50) has a lovely outside, soft and spongy without the bitterness that usually comes with green tea, but the gooey inside seems to have absorbed into the sponge.

The Drink
Cocktails are available in the bar and the restaurant, from £10.50. From the list of martinis, the raspberry and passion fruit martini is blended well, with a slightly sour edge to balance the sweetness. The interestingly-named Watermelon Bum Bum is fresh and light, with a bright pink wedge of watermelon along the rim. Wines range from about £30 to £115, along with a separate fine wine list from £110 to £1,800. On the lower end of the price range, a Stonleigh Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand is a fantastic choice for £34, light enough to not overpower the delicate taste of the fish but with a substantially strong berry flavour.

The Last Word
It’s not surprising that Nozomi has a loyal clientele thanks to its energetic atmosphere, understated decor and creative menu. You could easily spend the whole night there - if your wallet could handle it.

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