Kioku by Endo at the Old War Office: OWO might be troubled but this sushi restaurant is the real deal
The Old War Office, or ‘The OWO’ to insufferable industry types, is the most perplexing London hotel opening in decades. After spending over a billion quid turning Churchill’s wartime Cabinet Office into a hotel, industry bigwigs speak in hushed tones of low occupancy. One exec told me the breakfast room had eleven guests one morning even though the building has 120 rooms (rates for even the smallest dorms stand at around a grand a night).
Mauro Colagreco bagged a Michelin star for his restaurant on the ground floor, metres from the powder-pink marble staircase Churchill once swept up to deliver his WWII speeches, but even that doesn’t seem to have generated much buzz. History isn’t sexy, it seems.
Despite all this, I’d recommend going: with its fabulous nooks and crannies (including the ‘secret’ basement spy bar), The Old War Office is an exciting building to explore. And the lack of interest means walk-ins can generally get a table without notice.
If you take the elevator to the rooftop, you’ll find new sight-lines across St James’ Park to Buckingham Palace, and 50 al fresco tables perfect for a summer aperitif. You can even book dinner in one of the turrets, named by basically every publication that matters as among the capital’s most impressive private dining rooms.
Up here, you will find Tango sunsets over Parliament as well as one of Japan’s biggest sushi stars, Endo Kazutoshi. Hailing from Yokohama, Kazutoshi has already earned his stripes in London, having won a Michelin star for Endo at the Rotunda in the former BBC Television Centre. Opened in the pandemic, Harden’s called the White City venue the Best Restaurant in the UK. “It’s the Champions League final here every day,” he tells me of his sushi making, referring to the pressure of serving London’s finest fish.
Inside his rooftop restaurant, the tables are spaced out so that each gets Main Character Energy. We were around the privately bookable Chef’s Table, which seats eight and has been positioned the wrong way around. Facing into the restaurant towards the sushi masters, diners have their backs to the views of Big Ben and the turrets of Westminster. You’re not the Main Character, the food is.
A view of both seafood and St James would have been nice, but having only the former is not a terrible compromise. These chefs transfixed me with the sheer level of care they put into the preparation of the sushi. One day I hope to be held by a lover the same way our sushi master holds his pieces of fish. They take things further in the direction of the bedroom by handing me a warm, soft pillow of fish and rice that had been built on the table in front of me.
I cannot overstate how intense it feels to have a chef hand you a piece of food he has just built in front of you. Oysters are supposed to be the ultimate aphrodisiac, but being handed a moist seafood parcel while looking into the eyes of a proud Japanese man beats slurping any briny bivalve. Morsel after morsel arrived on the table, each carried from the kitchen like a religious relic. Seabass, yellowtail, king crab, and Wagyu steak, each paired with sake by a British sommelier who pointed out the subtle notes of apple, melon and banana. Sake pairings are hugely underrated and London needs more restaurants focusing on them, because it’s an absolute delight.
Passing sushi directly from hand to hand isn’t unique to Endo, but Kazutoshi believes he was the first to bring it to London around six years ago, and he’s aware of his influence. “I’m not an influencer but everyone watched and copied,” he says.
With his food preparation videos on social media getting tens of thousands of views, Kazutoshi is exactly what The Old War Office needs to inject a bit of life into the troubled project. Book now for the summer and make the most of the generous suntrap terrace.
• Book a table at Kioku by Endo or visit at 6th Floor, 2 Whitehall Place, The OWO, SW1A 2BD. Adam had the Chef’s Table experience, from £195 per person