Opening of the week: Issho
What: D&D London’s huge new restaurant and bar in Leeds on the roof of the city’s newish £165m Victoria Gate development. The opening of Issho marks D&D’s first foray into Japanese cuisine and is the group's third restaurant in the city, joining Angelica and Crafthouse which are located nearby on the upper floors of Trinity Leeds. D&D is clearly having a good time of it in Leeds, with a fourth restaurant soon to open in the same development next month. East 59th is named after the address of D&D’s New York site Guastavino’s, and will be a 5,400 sq ft, New York-inspired all-day grill with a bar and rooftop terrace.
Who: The kitchen is helmed by executive chef Ben Orpwood, who is best known for launching Mayfair Japanese Sexy Fish for Richard Caring in 2015. His CV is focused on Asian restaurants. Before Sexy Fish he was head chef at Zuma in Knightsbridge and has also cooked at Australian izakaya Daniel San.
The vibe: The restaurant is open from brunch until late at night and is intended to evoke a bustling grand café by day and a glamarous cocktail destination by night - a tricky design brief that has resulted in a neutral look and feel. The space is modern with very subtle Japanese influences and an open kitchen. There’s also an attractive outdoor terrace that offers great views of the city skyline.
The menu: Issho serves food that is “inspired by Japanese and Asian cuisine, whilst also incorporating the very best of Yorkshire produce”. The menu includes steamed prawn and salmon gyoza, white soy and mustard; seared diver scallop, jalapeno and apple; and duck breast with pickled nashi pear and spring onion sauce. There’s a large range of sushi and the restaurant also goes big on robata-grilled dishes, with a selection that includes maple glazed pork belly, fresh apple and wasabi as well as barley miso lamb cutlets with smoked aubergine and cucumber.
And another thing: Issho means ‘together’ in Japanese. The name has apparently been chosen to highlight the restaurant’s emphasis on sharing dishes.
