A nine-seat sushi restaurant in central London is the latest British eatery to gain three coveted Michelin stars, increasing the number of top-rated restaurants in Great Britain and Ireland to five.
The Araki, which opened off Regent Street in 2014, joined the top tier of restaurants in the latest Michelin Guide.
Its elevation means that chef Mitsuhiro Araki regains the three stars he won at his Edomae (Tokyo-style) sushi restaurant in Tokyo before bringing it to London three years ago.
Michael Ellis, the international director of the Michelin guides, said: “With its nine-seater counter, The Araki has gone from strength to strength. When Mitsuhiro Araki moved to London from Tokyo in 2014 he set himself the challenge of using largely European fish and his sushi is now simply sublime.”
The Araki only has the one set menu, the Sushi ‘Omakase’ Chef’s menu, which costs £300 per person.
The four other three Michelin star establishments in the UK are Heston Blumenthal’s legendary Fat Duck and Alain Roux’s Waterside Inn in Berkshire, Restaurant Gordon Ramsay in Chelsea and Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester in Mayfair.
Twenty restaurants now have two Michelin stars, including a new entry to this year’s guide; the French eatery Claude Bosi at Bibendum in Chelsea.
A total of 150 restaurants have one Michelin star this year, including 17 new ones.
Michael Caines’ super luxury Lympstone Manor in Devon, which only opened its doors in April of this year, secured a coveted star.
Speaking of the accolade, Michael said: “It’s such an incredible achievement for myself and the team to be awarded the Michelin Star. The hotel and restaurant have been open for only six months, so to have achieved this within such a short time is an amazing testament to the quality that we are creating here on a day-to-day basis.
“As East Devon’s first Michelin-starred restaurant, I want to thank the entire Lympstone Manor team who have worked with me over the past couple of years for their support and dedication: This accolade has made the daily graft worth it. I am looking forward to sharing a glass of Champagne to toast our success with the team – I’m so proud of them all.”
