The chef, who cut his teeth working with Adam Byatt at Trinity in London, RyuGin in Tokyo, and Eleven Madison Park in New York, will launch Omoide on the site of a former hairdressers in Bermondsey Street, on 30 October.
The concept for the restaurant is inspired by elements of ‘shokuji’ which is a Japanese meal comprising rice, pickles and soup, adapted to the grab’n’go market.
The restaurant’s simple menu will be split into two halves.
The first half is dedicated to chirashi rice bowls, which are similar to poke bowls. Diners can choose from a list of Sato’s combinations, including a chicken bowl of den dashi chicken, umamu mushrooms, 5-grain sushi mix, shichimi mayo, spicy beansprouts and pickles; and a vegetarian option of miso aubergine, tofu, yuzu avocado, salad and 5-grain sushi mix, charred broccoli, edamame, pickles and crispy shallots.
An omakase option is also available, allowing customers to pick a rice base, a dressing, a protein, and a selection of toppings such as radish, cured cucumber and nori.
The second half of the menu comprises three types of dashi with udon noodles. Available in small and large, diners can choose from a vegetarian miso option; a chicken and shiitake mushroom version, and a pork belly, carrot, mushroom, egg and beansprout option.
Fish served at the restaurant will come from Lyme Bay, and Sato will use skills from his first job preparing fish from the fishing boats in Tokyo.
“Born and raised in Japan, Shokuji is what I grew up on, and can be found everywhere in Tokyo from breakfast tables to 3 Michelin starred restaurants,” says the chef.
“I wanted to make this style of food accessible to everyone, and hope that my memories of growing up in Japan will translate to the flavours and textures on Omoide’s menu.”
The launch of Omoide will not be the first time that Sato has targeted the lunch and grab-and-go market. In August last year the chef launched his first solo project, Mission Sato, serving bento boxes in Old Street and Bermondsey. The Japanese chef also planned to launch bento box vending machines.