Having established a stream of successful restaurants abroad — most recently The Kensington Street Social at Sydney’s Old Clare Hotel — Jason Atherton has returned to London to open his seventh restaurant in the capital, the izakaya-styled Sosharu. Helmed by Executive Chef Alex Craciun, who temporarily relocated to Kyoto in preparation for the launch, the restaurant offers casual yet refined Japanese cuisine made with seasonal British ingredients. Diners can expect small dishes taken from different specialities from the country such as sashimi, temaki and hibachi grill, alongside a litany of innovative plates, like chashu pork belly, udon and king oyster, finished off with imaginative desserts like apple pie with miso butterscotch.
Housed in Clerkenwell’s Turnmill Building, the design is provided by Shanghai-based studio Neri & Hu, and plays on the concept of Japanese domesticity, with three distinct areas — a dining room, chef’s table and a lower level bar named Seven Tales — wholly defined by function and linked by a layout mirroring that of a Japanese house. Specifically looking towards the country’s traditional minka homes for inspiration, Neri & Hu have adopted their abstracted timber structures in the main dining room, as well as adding sliding doors, long stone counters and high Japanese denim curtains elsewhere. Downstairs in the basement bar, Sosharu takes on a more urban guise and reflects Japan’s subcultures by way of customised wallpaper depicting golden age movements, and references to art and architecture. The cultural allusions do not stop there, with bar manager Geoff Robinson’s drinks menu making frequent nods to Japanese concepts and philosophies for a selection of potent tinctures that offer depth every sense.
INFORMATION
ADDRESS
63 Clerkenwell Road
-
Think small, think electric, as Hyundai attempts to revolutionise the classic Indian three-wheelerHyundai’s Micro Mobility strategy, in collaboration with Indian manufacturer TVS, has revealed two conceptual takes on small electric urban transport in a bid to cut the country’s crushing pollution issue
-
‘Just beneath the surface there’s another world’: How David Lynch used hair and make-up to create his singular universeFrom Blue Velvet and Mulholland Drive to Twin Peaks, David Lynch used hair and make-up in his films as a narrative device, writes Laura Havlin
-
Burns Night 2025: where to celebrate in LondonIt is time to raise a wee dram to Scotland’s national poet Robert Burns on Burns Night (25 January). Here is our pick of places to enjoy an evening of generous speechmaking, toasting, and drinking around London
-
London’s first all-suite hotel, The Emory, wins Wallpaper* Design Award 2025The Emory earns our Best Suites award for flawlessly embodying the creative aesthetic of a host of world-class designers
-
Wallpaper* Design Awards 2025: meet the travel winners transcending destinationsDiscover the Wallpaper* Design Awards 2025 travel winners: the year’s places to stay, dine, drink and join
-
Don’t Tell Dad: comfort eating is hot stuff at this new London bakery and restaurantA bakery in the morning, a restaurant from lunchtime, Don’t Tell Dad is the talk of Queen’s Park
-
Fine dining is plant-powered at this intimate east London restaurantChef Kirk Haworth’s Plates, designed by Design & That, thrives in its synergetic dialogue between people, nature and ingredients
-
The design-led restaurants to know in 2025This year’s most read-about restaurant openings to inspire your 2025 cravings, from a playful diner in New York to an art-and-dining hub in Marrakech
-
The most whimsical hotel Christmas trees around the worldWe round up the best hotel Christmas tree collaborations of the year, from an abstract take in Madrid to a heritage-rooted installation in Amsterdam
-
Wallpaper* checks in at Hyde London City, the perfect free-spirited boltholeHyde London City, the brand’s UK hotel debut, brings contagious energy and maximalism to a Victorian classic
-
The Park: step inside Jeremy King's mid-century dinerOne of several 2024 openings from restauranteur, Jeremy King, food critic Ben McCormack books in at The Park
