Before I get to the rest of it, let me tell you now that my bill was £133.40. How many drinks? Six, to be fair, two-thirds of which were martinis. And I was in a bar in Whitehall, where politicians flash our money by way of expense accounts that are scrutinised but soon forgotten about. But it was a bit much for a Tuesday, whatever the environs.
I didn’t even get carried away: repeat rounds merely happened because Kioku is the work of chef Endo Kazutoshi, who delivers luxury with absolution. The sake list is long and the cocktails polished.
My Momo was a savvy combination of peach liqueur, shiso leaf “absinthe” and a little stone fruit soda. Martinis came clean and medicinal. Our bartender told us about one regular who comes in once a week and nails five in a row. She must be in government.
Great bar, wrong location. It’s in Raffles at the OWO, which has been a bit of a billion-pound disaster. Who in heaven’s name goes there? Why? It is boring. If you want Endo’s sushi, go to his place at the Rotunda. If you want Mauro Colagreco’s food, go to Menton, in communist France.
It’s a bit of a shame because Kioku is striking, sleek, precise; service is top-end. And there’s a big ice cube, on the bar, Titanic-sinking: boy, do I love that sort of thing. I just don’t love Whitehall, a torrid spectrum of belligerence where those in power get everything wrong, drunk with power. You know, it’s their fault I worry about dropping over £100 on a Tuesday.
6th Floor, The OWO, 2 Whitehall Place, SW1A 2BD, kiokubyendo.com
