The decorated chef brings an intimate, hand-to-hand dining experience to London. Elite Traveler’s Arianna Chatzidakis was among the first guests in.
The exclusive members’ club, founded more than six decades ago and now housed on Berkeley Square, has always traded in a certain theatricality – lavish design, low lights, the hum of money well spent – yet what lay upstairs felt altogether different. Stripped of spectacle, it was a room arranged around ten counter seats and a single man: Endo Kazutoshi.
Kazutoshi, the third-generation sushi master behind the Michelin-starred restaurant Endo at the Rotunda, has decamped to Mayfair for a five-month omakase residency while his west London restaurant lies temporarily closed following a fire in 2025. Last week, on the opening night of Endo, Upstairs at Annabel’s, I witnessed the celebrated chef back in the kitchen for the first time since the tragedy.
I had been advised beforehand to avoid wearing perfume, lest fragrances interfere with the menu’s delicate flavors, and upon entry to the room, phones had to be surrendered at the door – no photographs, no distractions. It’s a bold move in a city addicted to documenting itself, but one with clear instructions: you are here to pay attention.
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A soothing, spa-like soundtrack played in the background as I took my seat on the top floor. Kazutoshi quickly got to work, moving up and down the length of the counter, his team following in synchrony, embodying the principle of omotenashi – the art of selfless hospitality. The 14 courses arrived blind. There was no menu to consult pre-arrival, as I usually prefer, but omakase devotees can rest assured: this is a gamble weighted firmly in the diner’s favor.
The sitting began with a course coined as Kazutoshi’s ‘business card’: a standout handroll that hinted at the delights to come. It was followed by kasujiru, a soothing sake lees soup, then squid – scored with precision – and akami. Each piece was formed, pressed, and placed directly into my hand by Kazutoshi, in what is dubbed a ‘hand-to-hand’ dining experience – an intimate exchange between chef and guest.
There was crab shinjo, impossibly light, suspended in broth; scallops with a hint of citrus; and a cooling udon broth to reset the palate. Towards the end of the courses, the menu pivoted from the sea towards land and forest, weaving in the likes of morel mushrooms and wagyu. Sake pairings were served in ceramic cups designed and handcrafted by Kazutoshi, each piece unique, with subtle imperfections.
A soufflé with sake ice cream and matcha tea concluded the procession. Many dishes, Kazutoshi explained between movements, had been crafted using locally sourced British ingredients, from London to Brighton – a subtle nod to his home away from home.
The residency runs until mid-July, on Tuesday to Friday evenings with 6pm and 9pm sittings. It’s priced at £245 (approx. $330) per person, with optional sake pairings at £120 (approx. $160), or a more expansive drinks flight at £250 (approx. $337). Interestingly, while select services are reserved for members, the remainder are available to non-members via the Rotunda’s website – an unexpected gesture for an otherwise impenetrable institution like Annabel’s. Sittings, I am told, are already fully booked until the end of March.
For a parting gesture, I was gifted a signed menu and a pair of chopsticks to take home – tangible souvenirs of a night well spent. As I stepped back out into Mayfair, phone returned and senses sharpened, I must admit I felt faintly dislocated – as though I had traveled rather further than a few flights of stairs. And there were no photographs to prove I was ever there.
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