USHIO brings lean Fukuoka wagyu to Charlotte Street

At USHIO the first three cuts of wagyu come off the grill with nothing on them but salt. The restaurant comes from Fukuoka, and it builds its London menu on Akami Wagyu, the lean, less marbled end of Japanese beef. It was reported to have opened at 12 Charlotte Street in Fitzrovia in July.

A yakiniku house from Fukuoka

The group behind USHIO runs a yakiniku restaurant near Hakata station in Fukuoka and a butcher’s shop in the city’s Minami ward. Franchise restaurants carry its name in Taipei and in Central, Hong Kong, so London is its fourth city.

Every cut in London is A5 Japanese Wagyu, and some of the signature dishes serve it raw or only lightly seared. Tables take parties of up to six, and walk-ins are welcome. The Charlotte Street site was reported before the opening to be the former Palms of Goa, which closed after more than 30 years on the street.

The omakase

The omakase opens on the chef’s starter of the day. Three lean cuts follow, grilled with salt alone so that each one tastes of itself, and a salad with the house dressing clears the palate between the wagyu courses.

A sirloin comes next as yakisuki, seared with a sukiyaki marinade. Two more lean cuts close the meal, glazed with the house tare. USHIO asks that everyone at a table takes the omakase.

A second card is open only to omakase guests. Lean steak, marbled steak and, when there is any, chateaubriand are sold by the gram and grilled to order. The sirloin yakisuki can be ordered again, and a pizza of thinly sliced wagyu ribeye with house miso takes about 15 minutes.

The beef tendon curry is the specialty of the Fukuoka restaurant, slow-cooked and served in a full or half portion. Cold noodles and onigiri of minced wagyu sit beside it. The desserts are matcha choux puffs baked in the kitchen, annin tofu and yuzu sorbet.

Wine and sake for the beef

Three pairings pour three glasses each through the omakase: wine, sake, or two wines and a sake. On the bottle list each wine is matched to the beef. Lumière’s Koshu Hikari from Yamanashi is there for the natural flavour of the meat, and Sigalas’s Assyrtiko from Santorini resets the palate after the marbled cuts.

Rare Champagne’s 2012 Millésime is set against the thickest cuts on the grill. For a private party, the basement takes up to 14 guests, and the whole restaurant can be hired on any evening it opens.

Open Wednesday to Sunday, 18:00 to 23:00. Omakase £95 per person; pairings £33 to £38; steaks £0.45 to £0.90 a gram. A discretionary 13 per cent service charge is added.

USHIO, 12 Charlotte Street, London W1T 2LU.