Named after the Korean word for “expert,” Dosa offers just 14 guests the chance to experience chef Akira Back’s culinary journey. He is the chef and brand owner of more than a dozen eponymous restaurants in major cities from Dallas to Dubai, including one-Michelin-starred Dosa in Seoul and Michelin Plate restaurant Akira Back in Singapore.
The PR states “Diners can closely observe the masterful preparation of sophisticated dishes in a dining room influenced by the mineral elements of the earth, with suspended sculptures designed to stimulate the senses. An immersive dining experience featuring a Korean-inspired tasting menu at an intimate chef’s table. Guests are invited to watch as artfully curated and prepared dishes integrate unique Korean traditions and techniques.”
Executive chef Jihun Kim oversees Dosa in London, Kim is originally from Korea, where he helped with the first Dosa restaurant in Seoul. He previously assisted with Akira Back restaurant openings in Dubai and Paris. His duties also include looking after his new son with his wife, quite a challenge whilst opening a new venture in a new country for a young family.
Born in South Korea, Back moved to Aspen, Colorado, with his family when he was a child. There, he became a professional snowboarder for seven years during his teens. He confesses that he was never interested in cooking and only started working for sushi master Kenichi Kanada in Aspen because he thought Kanada looked cool serving customers and wanted to be like him.
Back to Dosa in London… the no choice tasting menu is priced at £185 per person, with the wine matching (not including champagne) at £145, which is a bargain for the wines served.
The evening started in the ABar Lounge with a live DJ set pumping the beat whilst we tasted through the five sparkling wines that they offer by the glass (and bottle):
Champagne Heidsieck Rare, 2013
Roederer Estate L’Ermitage 2017 Anderson Valley, California
Champagne Hugues Godomé Grands Jardins Blanc de Noirs NV
Champagne Christian Lassaigne-Berlot Blanc de Blancs
Champagne Devaux D Rose
A great diverse selection, we were then asked which of these we would like to continue with as we went through to the 14-seater display kitchen/dining studio, I of course chose the Rare 2013 which, given the array of spectacular canapés about to be served, was a perfect match. This luscious rich champagne has pineapple and peach notes, blood orange and oyster shell and a delicate toasty note, seamless but plenty of attitude to carry the full-flavored canapés.
The canapés were more like a masterclass in refined seafood exuberance – every mouthful was a joy and an explosion of saline goodness. These included: Cornwall Cuttlefish with lime and celery; Cured Chalk Stream Trout with fennel and finger lime; Dorset Clams, cocoa beans, sesame tart; and Spider Crab with pine nut, tropes onion and lashings of Oscietra caviar.
The kitchen and waiting staff outnumbered the 14 guests, but this was not a hushed environment with all the staff equally chatty and involved in each dish, making for a very relaxed, wonderful occasion. Both Akira Back and Jihun Kim were constantly in the kitchen during service. Wine service was expertly overseen by assistant head sommelier Maxim Maiano, while head sommelier is Andres Ituarte
We then started the main event. The first dish was called Mulhoe, a take on the classic Korean fisherman’s cold soup with wild Cornish sea bass, dongchimi, fermented sweet pepper, wasabi and cucumber sorbet, this was matched by Domaine Rolet Arbois Trousseau 1985 Jura, France (from magnum), a red wine from Jura, chosen by assistant head sommelier Maxim Maiano who was born in the region. This was not only a fabulous wine full of bright cherries and red currants balanced with floral notes and ageability but it was a perfect match. A rare wine that I had not tried before, but what a joy.
Next dish up was Preserved Tomato, a refreshing dish made from Mora Farm honeycomb tomato, broccoli, goat labneh and beautiful crisp white cob nuts. This was matched to a beautiful Grüner Veltliner, textured and full of spice, pear, sweet white peaches with a really succulent finish – FX Pichler Grüner Veltliner Kellerberg 2021 Wachau, Austria.
The theatre then continued with Ganjang Prawn Kimbab, this was a cured ‘Red Mazura’ prawn, with young ginger and Kaluga caviar. This was expertly individually prepared in front of us, served in a seaweed leaf and was fresh, vibrant and a beautiful mouthful of fresh salinity, matched with Muki Junmai Daiginjo Sake.
Next up was one of my favourite wines and it did not disappoint; Guigal Condrieu La Doriane 2022 Northern Rhône, France.
This wine in its youth is a marvel, it is aromatic, honeyed, with perfect Provence apricots, but still keeps itself on the straight and narrow with that perfect purity, a luscious wine that can overcome some dishes but not the Wild Turbot, this was a master class in cooking turbot, cooked to perfection with delicate but robust dressings made with sea lettuce, kelp and Makgeoli (Korean rice wine) butter. A perfect match.
Roasted Dry Aged Duck was served with sweet doenjang (fermented soy bean), fermented cherry, pumpkin, kimchi and rainbow chard. Full of sweet gamey flavours well balanced by the Korean spices, the Gabutti Barolo Sordo Reserva 2007 Piemonte, to go with this duck was again perfectly aged, it was juicy in fruit content but also had that cedar, cocoa note, it was moreish and, of course, the glass was topped up.
The final savoury course was Wagyu Beef Bansang, with the beef served in various formats, the tartare with the rice was by far the best of the dishes, this was matched to the rather expensive (but included here in the wine matching price), Changyu Moser Purple Air 2016 Ningxia from China, the wine delivers well, with plummy notes, jasmine tea, green peppercorns and cedar notes.
Palate cleansers appear before more theatre and this time it’s the turn of the humble ‘Sweet corn’ to be turned into a sweet masterpiece, I won’t spoil the surprise but it was worth going to this dinner just for this remarkable dish, perfectly matched to a perry – Eric Bordelet Poiré Granit Perry 2022.
This was a real treat, and what made it so special (besides the quality of the food and the fact that the team try where possible to source British produce), was the quality of the wine matching, a bargain and rare opportunity to drink such quality and perfectly aged wines.
The service was perfect, and it then led me to think, “It’s all well and good to do this for a selected group of press, but how would they fare when dealing with the public?”
So, I sent along my daughter and her parents-in-law a week later to try Dosa out, and the result; “a truly amazing experience, loved the theatre, and the service was superb, the food exceptional, and thank you for the complimentary champagne’.
Besides the 14-seater chef’s table; Dosa, this Mandarin Oriental in London also has the all-day modern Japanese restaurant; Akira Back, plus ABar Lounge and ABar Rooftop that both provide bite-sized dishes inspired by Akira Back. The wine list in all areas is well priced with plenty of fine wines by the glass.
