Review of ' Kibako London'
A planned trip to London coincided with receiving an offer for a £45 four course menu at Japanese restaurant “Kibako” promising some interesting looking sushi options including an interesting 9-compartment square bento box. We could not pass on this so purchased our vouchers and made our reservation.
Kibako is a five minute walk north of Oxford Circus in a side street of Marylebone. We arrived a few minutes ahead of our reservation in the first sitting at noon so had to wait outside though thankfully the weather was sunny and pleasant. The restaurant had some rather unsightly construction outside but was decorated by plastic “cherry blossoms” which continued, as we could see, inside the entire restaurant. Indeed, when we were finally shown to our table there is a large “tree” in the corner with the cherry blossoms hanging from it. The tables are quite close together and during our visit it would get busier and busier. Most of our fellow diners had deals similar to ours with very few actually looking at the “a la carte” menu. This could be a bad sign…
At our table we were given details about the offer we had purchased along with drink options (not included in the meal), I selected a “genmaicha” (wheat based) Japanese tea served in a funky (though heavy) angular green teapot, and “extras” which we declined.
Our first course was the “signature Kibako box with freshly grated Japanese wasabi & soy sauce” which featured nine separate dishes that were described to us as the boxes were placed in front of us: A few small slices of cucumber, marinaded cold tofu (yes, as much flavour as you would expect), two slices of an herbal “futomaki” roll, a small bowl of grated turnip (with a lovely flower on top), a “takoyaki” ball (deep fried dough ball with a piece of octopus inside), and a single gyoza. If you can count, that is six dishes, the other three “dishes” were simply soy sauce, wasabi and gari (pickled ginger) which, frankly, are condiments and not dishes. No particular dish “wowed” us, it was all OK but not anything more.
After a bit of a wait our second course was delivered: “Your own Sushi Omakase Experience. Pick & mix and personalise your sushi with a selection of top quality seafood and Japanese condiments”. This was something that we had been looking for but, sadly, hugely disappointed. The quality of the ingredients was quite good but nothing particularly exciting: Various pieces of fish (including some lightly cooked), a spicy orange sauce, sheets of nori (green seaweed sheets typically used in sushi), a small bowl of sushi rice, gari (pickled ginger again), a small green salad and a small bowl of soy sauce. So, the idea was basically that you make your own sushi which worked reasonably well. Again, it was all OK, just not amazing.
Our third course arrived a bit quicker: “Grilled fish & truffled aubergine set served with miso soup, salad, Japanese rice, Tsukemono”. On the small tray we had a nice bowl of miso soup, fresh seaweed greens, a few pieces of Tsukemono (preserved vegetables), and another bowl of soy sauce, all alongside the main event of this course: A small rectangular box lined with rice and topped with a good sized, and very tasty, piece of tender aubergine and a piece of grilled (white fish) topped with a slightly sweet glaze. This was quite a nice course particularly the aubergine which was full of flavour.
The final course was unhelpfully described as “seasonal dessert” which was quite disappointing: A small piece of cake topped with stewed fruits and a few small dabs of cream.
The service was adequate though not terribly friendly as they were busy with the other diners and with delivery and removal of the large course platings.
The food was disappointing with no real surprises and no standout flavours. Sure, it was an OK Japanese dinner but I expected so much more for the money (evidently the non-discounted price is something like £90 which seems extraordinarily expensive for what you get). Some of our fellow diners had purchased the wagyu beef set menu which looked a bit more interesting but other than the theatre of the plating the food itself looked quite ordinary. I think many people will, as we did, be attracted at the idea of getting a deal but they may walk away disappointed – There are better Japanese options in London available for the same amount as the discounted price here.
Rating: “A bit better than average”
Review Date: 2024-05-24
Cuisine: American/British
Address: 110 Great Portland St, London W1W 6PQ ENGLAND
Public Transport: 
Oxford Circus
Location: London (England) - Marylebone
Map:
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Telephone: +44 (0) 20 7637 4198
URL: https://kibakolondon.com/