Sachi at Pantechnicon
Chelsea, London
Just what is the Pantechnicon? The striking neo-classical façade gives nothing away, except its name, emblazoned at the top. Grade II-listed, it opened in 1830 as London’s original arts, crafts and interiors bazaar. Some of that spirit has been captured in the building’s new iteration: a smart mix of shopping (including Japanese and Nordic design and craft objects), drinking and dining. Sachi, in the spacious barrel-vaulted lower level, is one of several dining options, offering a menu of regional Japanese dishes, kushiyaki skewers and British rare-breed meat cooked on the robata grill. It has timeless, minimalist look, mixing bare brick walls with blond wood, and incorporates private booths in hidden vaults and an eight-seat sushi counter. The emphasis is on pure, clean flavours and the kitchen rarely puts a foot wrong with the likes of scallops cooked in fermented chilli butter and served on an intense dulse purée, or deliciously extravagant A4 wagyu sirloin with beetroot and mustard miso. Pork belly skewers cooked with apple barley miso are well worth trying, and a wonderfully meaty aubergine smeared with sweet miso and sprinkled with crisp buckwheat is a rousing success, as is a spinach salad with myoga (Japanese ginger flower buds) and a really zingy sesame dressing. Service is exemplary. An extravagantly broad selection of sakes should encourage experimentation; a sommelier is on hand to assist aficionados and novices alike. In addition, there’s a sharp list of cocktails and a seriously impressive big-money wine list.
Dining Information:
Private dining room, Separate bar, Counter seating, Wheelchair access, Family friendly
Pantechnicon, 19 Motcomb Street, Chelsea SW1X 8LB
020 7034 5425
