Luna Omakase restaurant review, Liverpool Street, London E1

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The tiny Luna Omakase restaurant is tucked away on the ninth floor of the Los Mochis London City. Unlike its noisy host, Luna Omakase is a highly intimate and immersive experience. 

The tasting menu comprises 12 Japanese-Mexican fused courses in the Sosaku-style Edomae Omakase style by Executive Chef Leonard Tanyag. Chef told us it was 100 per cent gluten and nut free, and ingredients were chosen in accordance with 12 lunar phases to a maximum of 12 diners sitting at a horseshoe counter that hugs the preparation area. 

Service began with a gong, and the gourmet theatre began. Chef Leonard offered his opening preamble: “At LUNA Omakase, every dish is designed to echo the rhythm of the moon and the natural flow of the seasons. The sake pairings enrich this journey, with Masumi Origarami’s sparkling brightness lifting the Kampachi Tiradito, while the Toko Ultraluxe reveals layers of depth when paired with Aburi Masu Toro Nigiri.”

Perched at the counter, I could watch as each bite-sized course was prepared. All the while, Chef Leonard told compelling and sometimes personal stories about the courses with advice on how to eat them.  

Two palate cleansers, pickled ginger and pickled cucumber, were already in place. Poised with a glass of Masumi Origarami Sparkling Sake from Japan’s Nagano Prefecture, I enjoyed the crisp bubbles and wine-like acidity that balanced well with  Kampachi Crudo – raw amberjack fish with a tangy orange ponzu and smoky chilli pepper, the Otoro Tartare – a melt-in-the-mouth fatty Bluefin tuna belly in citrus truffle soy and Kani Nigiri – a crab sushi on top of a small, hand-pressed ball of sushi rice.

The Kani Nigiri, king crab legs, wasabi, yuzu zest, and yuzu salt were paired with Toko Ultraluxe Fukurotsuri Junmai Daiginjo from Yamagata Prefecture, a rare gravity-pressed sake with notes of lychee, wild strawberry, and grapefruit. It also went particularly well with the refreshing Cucumber Avocado Taco Maki, a wrap that included coriander to add a little Mexican flavour.

Then we were treated to a Hamachi Yaki Onigiri, a dish based on a childhood snack. This is a yellowtail tartare with aioli and truffle grilled sushi rice, tobikko, spring onion, serrano chile, and fresh truffle. He told us to eat it all in one go and experience a burst of flavour. He was kidding about the flavour.

There were some eyebrow-raising moments, for instance, when the Nasu Toro Nigiri, belly of sea trout nigiri, was blow-torched in front of us; it was quite the show. Then the chef handed it to us and instructed us to eat it with our fingers, placing it into our mouth upside down so the fish was on the palate first.

Another fiery moment was the searing was watching Kuro Tai Nigiri – French sea bream, with wasabi, nikiri soy and yuzu salt being seared with white hot, 370 Celsius binchotan charcoal, resulting in gorgeous smoky flavours.

Then there was Oscietra Caviar and fresh wasabi served inside a stone orb, while dry ice came wafting out (see featured image). Underneath the caviar was Bluefin tuna tartar itself, hiding a three-year-old sweet wasabi.

The Caviar Taquito also had the Mexican touch – this was a sweet potato shell filled with Oscietra Caviar with Gusano salt to taste.

The show was ever-changing, and out came the BBQ Unagi Handroll. This was fresh water eel, Miso Gochujang, cucumber, baby asparagus, sesame, buboarare, and dehydrated Miso in a wrap.

Amid all these gems from the sea concoctions came a most unexpted item – a sandwich. This was the incredibily tender Wagyu A5 Sando, a sandwich of of seared wagyu on Himalayan salt cut with utmost precision with sake BBQ sauce, mustard and wasabi leaf. It was paired with Cheibijin Junmaishu sake whose gentle sweetness and clean acidity balanced the BBQ flavours and indeed his sentimental value of this course. His mother would make if for him (with Spam) if he he passed all his tests. He did pass, and this sandwich was a symbol of celebration  and turned out to be my personal favourite course of the evening.

The penultimate dish was Wagyu A5 Nigiri, very thin slices of wagyu seared on a round slab of Himalayan rock salt to preserve its rich, buttery flavour and served with shallot ponzu.

 The desserts were pretty sensational. We watched as the chef minced a block of crisp and naturally sweet blood orange and camomile granita into flakes, which he said “would immediately disappear but leave the flavour”. This was followed by a hot soufflé, with miso caramel and fresh wasabi ice cream providing a sensational combo of flavours and temperatures to round off the evening.

After the last course, a diner was invited to mark the end of the evening with the bang of the gong.

Verdict: The Luna Omakase experience is a tad expensive at £230 per person, but it is exceptional, in two vital ways: the theatrics alongside story telling by food bon vivant Chef Leonard Tanyag, and indeed the creative flavour combos and sheer excellence of the food he has curated. This was first-class gourmet entertainment that remained riveting throughout. 

How much? £230 per person for 12 courses.

More information: Click here
Los Mochis London City, 9th Floor, 100 Liverpool Street, London, EC2M 2AT

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