Every so often, a restaurant experience really stays with you. Sometimes it’s just one little thing that you remember and sometimes, EVERYTHING just comes together to create magic. This was one of those nights. The attention to detail throughout the experience at Akira Back at Mandarin Oriental Mayfair, London from the welcome to the exceptional food and the aesthetic was special.
The five-star Mandarin Oriental, Mayfair is home to a location of the iconic Akira Back restaurant. Akira Back is a name that is synonymous with cutting-edge cuisine and exquisite taste in the restaurant and hospitality industry. A first-class and world-renowned idealist who is a revered chef and has triumphantly built a global empire over the past two decades, spawning 30 locations operating around the world with more on the horizon.
In addition to his lengthy resume and accolades that continue to mount, Back is persistently at the forefront of innovation and artistry. Excitingly, locations are set to open soon in Rome, Florence, Algarve, and San Francisco within the next two years.
Location & Design
London’s new location of Akira Back and its affiliated ABar Lounge cocktail bar can be found in Hanover Square in Mayfair, within the Mandarin Oriental, Mayfair. The hotel has a contemporary, immersive ambience with colourfully intricate details. Akira Back fits nicely into this structure and adds to the vibrancy of the rest of the hotel. With ample natural light, Akira Back is a positively exciting place to be, where guests can be wholly themselves and have fun in the moment.
The furniture is comfortable yet artistic and entirely unique. With natural lighting and intricate light fixtures, the dining room feels open and airy, creating a spacious environment even during busy times. The interiors of Akira Back complement the lush exterior ofMandarin Oriental, Mayfair utilising unique window shapes and implementing bits of the natural world. The beautiful cream colours of the restaurant pair well with this idea while incorporating pops of colour, like the gorgeous green spiral staircase, to engage the senses.
The Chef
Akira Back is a highly rated chef and restaurateur born in Seoul and raised in Aspen, Colorado. Interestingly, Akira was a professional snowboarder before launching into the world of culinary arts. Known for his inventive takes on Japanese and Korean cuisine, Akira combines traditional and modern techniques to create a truly unique experience.
Working closely with Akira is Executive Chef Jihun Kim who oversees both restaurants at Akira Back. Chef Kim is originally from Korea, where he helped with the first Dosa by Akira Back in Seoul. Dosa by Akira Back in London was awarded a Michelin Star in the recent ceremony, a massive accolade for Jihun and his artistic Korean-inspired tasting menu chef’s table experience.
The Food
This is why we are here. In a way that very much mimics the restaurant’s atmosphere, the food options are playful and interactive while still maintaining the air of sophistication running rampant throughout the dining room.
Akira Back has breakfast, lunch, and dinner offerings, allowing for the broad menu to take on many forms and appeal to different palates. When it comes to breakfast dishes, if you have a sweet tooth, you must try the Gianduja Croffle with hazelnut ganache and vanilla chantilly. If savoury is more your style in the morning, you can’t miss the Pine Nut & Mushroom Porridge, which blends many umami textures to create a symphony of flavours, including kimchi and poached egg.
For lunch, options include the Bento tataki salad with sushi and miso black cod and the Miso Yaki Udon with native lobster.
Moving on to dinner, the menu boasts innovative dishes like Glazed Mushrooms, Miso Aubergine, and an array of signature rolls with intriguing titles such as Hot Mess and Perfect Storm. The ingredients are delightfully yet surprisingly complementary to one another, and with every dish you finish, you’ll want to order another right away. Some of the menu highlights we experienced:
Pizza – A delicate tuna and eringi mushroom pizza (on two halves) with umami aioli, shiso and truffle oil on the thinnest crispiest base. So delicate.
Dynamite Lobster – The most tender lobster was presented in a shell already delicately prepared into bites with a creamy moreish mayonnaise pickled shimeji mushrooms and jalapeno.
Jidori Chicken – This is a kind of premium, free-range chicken originating from Japan, where chickens are raised in a traditional manner, often with parents that are native Japanese breeds, and typically allowed to roam freely outdoors, resulting in a richer taste. This wagyu of the chicken world was accompanied by some crispy skin, potato purée and hints of teriyaki.
The standard of excellence to which Akira Back holds itself is present in every dish and in every element of the dining experience, including the exceptionally crafted drinks.
The Drinks Experience
Once again, Akira Back’s theme of experimentation takes form at the ABar Lounge cocktail bar and also ABar Rooftop. Two distinctly different concepts and a night out within themselves. You can find yourself with a drink in hand that perfectly satisfies your every craving in unique and memorable ways. ABar rooftop currently has a menu focused on the seasons with a variety of creations like the Artichoke Thyme with Whistle Pig 10 YO whiskey, cynar, artichoke, garlic and type. A great depth and clever flavours.
The My Fair Geisha cocktail is a splendid blend of Roku gin and shisho while the Kohii Martini is a rich mix of Havan 7 rum, Kahlúa, espresso, and Kakuzo cherry bitters. Our favourite at ABar Lounge was Peanutiful with Suntory Toki whisky, peanut butter, XO syrup, soy sauce and umami bitters. A creation that would work with food or on its own. Genius.
Overall
Akira Back at the Mandarin Oriental, Mayfair is a dining experience to choose to create memories. With an exciting story and an even more stimulating atmosphere, Akira Back feels like home.
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All imagery courtesy of Akira Back / Mandarin Oriental, Mayfair.