I’d had my eye on FAN London for a little while, so when it came to choosing somewhere for lunch with a friend who works in hospitality, it was the perfect excuse to book. We arrived on a sunny Friday after visiting Es Devlin: Otherworlds at the Design Museum and it was a short cab ride to the vibrant Notting Hill for lunch.
Behind this Notting Hill independent are childhood friends Coco Sasaki, Romina and Santiago. Executive chef Coco’s grandmother, Angélica Sasaki, helped Japanese families in Peru preserve their culinary traditions, adapting dishes to local ingredients. Her cooking had a lasting influence on her grandson, while Romina and Santiago bring their Cantonese heritage to the restaurant, broadening its influences beyond Japanese-Peruvian cuisine. Together, they call their approach Neo-Nikkei, with room for other culinary traditions and their own ideas. Knowing that history made the unexpected combinations on our plates feel so much more personal.
It’s an intimate space with an open kitchen, and watching the chefs became part of the pleasure. They looked happy in their work, concentrating on each plate. There’s also counter seating where I’d happily settle in for a solo lunch. Naturally, we started with pisco sours. These were among the strongest I’ve had, an observation backed up by a Peruvian gentleman dining nearby who was appreciative.
At FAN London, we chose the seven-course Hanami menu at £69 per person. Everyone at the table picks the same dish for each course, which makes ordering a conversation in itself. Our ceviche brought the sharpness of tiger milk, with corn adding contrast to the fish. It woke up the appetite nicely and paired especially well with the Pisco Sour.
Another stand out dish was the Manchego crispy rice combined scallop with squash batayaki, Manchego cheese and sweet soy sauce. Cheese and scallop might not be your usual sushi order, but I loved the pairing against the crunch and chew of the rice. The Ebi emperador brought prawn nigiri with Nikkei cream cheese and batayaki, finished with lime and sweet soy sauce, a more delicate option.
Then came the TTT, FAN’s tuna taco tempura: a spinach tempura taco carrying otoro, the prized fatty tuna, with guacamole Nikkei and mayo-shoyu. The rich tuna against its crisp base was deliciously indulgent and a generous serving of the prized fatty tuna. Our maki acevichado combined catch of the day with Peruvian acevichado mayo, togarashi, lime and avocado.
For the hot-charred course, we opted for batayaki-charred tiger prawns with piquillo pepper sauce and chalaquita. After the sushi, something from the grill made a satisfying yet light finish with a nice switch from raw to charred.
We lingered over plans for future press trips, pleased with our Friday decisions. I’d wanted to take my friend somewhere with food worth talking about, and FAN London had delivered. If you enjoy inventive sushi and supporting independent restaurants, FAN London deserves a place in your diary. Take someone who’s happy to share, and allow time to enjoy the afternoon.
