London & South East Premier Hospitality

Opening The Araki

The Araki, 12 New Burlington Street, London
Written by Roma Publications

The Araki, 12 New Burlington Street, London

Images courtesy of Lucilla Nitto

Located at 12 New Burlington Street, The Araki is a brand new sushi restaurant, specialising in Edomae sushi.

The restaurant opened in late October and is owned by world renowned master sushi chef Mitsuhiro Araki.

The exclusive new restaurant has relocated from The Araki Tokyo where Chef Araki received three Michelin stars, on two consecutive years, and was famous for being exceptionally popular with guests – with reservations being extremely difficult to come by.

Chef Araki – who is known for his simple, yet delicious, traditionally served Edomae sushi – closed his restaurant in Japan prior to coming to the UK, but aims to replicate the same success.

Commenting on his new Araki restaurant in London, Mitsuhiro Araki, said:

“I have been looking forward to bringing my style of Edomae sushi to London for multinational, top-end customers from all over the world.”

The Araki, 12 New Burlington Street, London

The Araki operates a one menu only policy – the sushi ‘Omakase’ chef’s set menu – which is priced at £300 per person. The restaurant accommodates nine at the dining counter; with room for a further six guests in the restaurant’s private dining room.

Takenaka Europe GmbH UK was the Design and Build contractor on The Araki. The company took inspiration from the original design concept of The Araki Tokyo, before bringing it closer to home and modifying it for the UK market.

The design of The Araki follows the Edo period (Victorian) Japanese theme. Whilst the design concept was handled by Takenaka Europe GmbH UK, the project was procured locally in the UK, using local skilled craftspeople. The wood for the counter itself is a single piece of 200 year old Japanese cypress from the Gifu prefecture, a gift from world famous musician Ryuichi Sakamoto.

Takenaka Europe GmbH UK is the UK division of the Takenaka Corporation, a Japanese company which was founded more than 400 years ago. Takenaka Europe GmbH UK specialises in the delivery of Design and Build projects, with clients including Toyota, Mitsubishi and Hitachi.

TAKENAKA international_ARAKI Restaurant London Fit-out Works, The Araki, 12 New Burlington Street, London

Speaking to Premier Hospitality, Simon Williams, a Chartered Architect for Takenaka Europe GmbH UK Branch, said:

“There are companies which just design, and others which just build. We can do both. Takenaka Europe GmbH UK Branch has been in operation for 30 years and we have delivered a number of projects for Japanese clients. We procure locally and act as a bridge between the Japanese client and the UK construction industry.

“We are experienced in all kinds of structures, from new build to refurbishments, and from Design and Build to construction-only projects. We offer a turnkey service, taking projects from conception to completion and after care.”

TAKENAKA international_ARAKI Restaurant London Fit-out Works, The Araki, 12 New Burlington Street, London

Simon added:

“Nothing is too big and nothing is too small for us. We will mobilise and adapt our company to suit the needs of our clients.”

Since The Araki opened the feedback has been excellent and it is something which Simon is very proud of.

He said:

“Chef Araki has been so excited to have his own restaurant in the UK and he is very happy. He is a master craftsman and to have his own venue, designed for him, has been great.

TAKENAKA international_ARAKI Restaurant London Fit-out Works, The Araki, 12 New Burlington Street, London

“For Takenaka Europe GmbH this project was extremely important because it embodies some of the fine traditions from Japanese interior architects and was designed for a famous master chef, and his unique aesthetics of Japanese cuisine. For us The Araki is a little jewel in the crown as it utilises a mix of both new and old techniques, combining elements taken from London and Japan.”

The Araki is part of the recently opened £250 million, W4 development, which includes a mix of modern office space and retail space. The Araki is open every evening, except Monday, with dinner served between 6pm and 8:15pm, with a second sitting from 8:30pm.

For more information on The Araki, or to make a booking, please visit: www.the-araki.com or call 0207 287 2481.

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Roma Publications