The Aubrey, Knightsbridge

What’s the draw?

Halfway between opulent opium den and a more sophisticated version of Sexy Fish, The Aubrey is an infinitely more subtle, seductive and somewhat less slippery venue for London’s discerning date-night crowd — as well as guests of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel above it.

This low-lit izakaya, cocktail bar and restaurant exudes an alluring, sensual charm and, under the direction of Miho Sato, who has previously worked at Annabel’s and Oblix at the Shard, serves up tantalising sushi, sandos and robata in a decadent, ultra-luxurious setting.

What to drink?

Lateef Photography

Lateef Photography

Fittingly, the cocktail menu comes bound within a facsimile edition of ‘The Yellow Book’ which Oscar Wilde was said to be carrying when arrested, with his lover, here in Knightsbridge.

The real version was edited by Aubrey Bearsley, the controversial Art Nouveau illustrator for whom the restaurant is named. Beardsley drew inspiration from Japanese shunga woodcuts, especially the genre’s more erotic — even pornographic — works, and nurtured a penchant for hiding genitalia in his drawings.

The Aubrey’s version is mercifully devoid of peek-a-boo phalluses but devoted, instead, to a series of Japonisme-inspired cocktails such as ‘Bijin-Ga’’: a classic whisky highball with a hint of mandarin, comprising sweet potato shochu, soda and umeshu.

The house champagne, created for The Aubrey by M Hostomme, also slips down rather easily and, with its classic blend of chardonnay, meunier and pinot noir, leaves no acidic taste in the mouth.

What to eat?

Lateef Photography

Lateef Photography

If you’re expecting some austere, Zen-like Japanese dining experience, forget it. This is big, aspirational cuisine, designed as much to please your Instagram followers as it is your palate. Luckily, it does both rather well.

A dish of tempura prawns, stacked upright and brought to the table as a starter, featured juicy fresh crustaceans so toweringly huge they resembled miniaturised pink Godzillas who were about to crawl out of their jar and start terrorising London.

Charcoal chicken karaage looked as black and charred as the remnants of last summer’s barbecue, but tasted light and delicate; served with a yuzu mayo, prompting the competing flavours to fight it out for dominance on your tastebuds. Sushi is in the traditional Edomae style, with maki and nigiri made using rice sourced from Hokkaido.

An asparagus avocado roll — often the drab Cinderella of the sushi world — was a flamboyant ‘belle of the ball’ here, infused with black garlic and crowned with a creamy avocado topping stacked so high it defied gravity.

The robata (fireside-cooked) section of the menu is where they keep the really showy stuff, and all the usual poseur-pleasers are in there: wagyu beef, Alaskan king crab, miso black cod.

If you’re in it for the ‘gram, blow a ton (well, £98) on the signature A4 Kagoshima wagyu sando, a Japanese-style sandwich served with caviar and gold leaf. If you’re here for the food, though, order the Iberico secreto pork — it’s sensational, and costs less than a third of the posh steak sarnie. Cut from the tender area between the shoulder and neck, the pork is served medium, almost rare, and paired exquisitely, at the sommelier’s recommendation, with a 2020 Spätburgunder from Battenfeld-Spanier.

Dinner (three courses) for two including cocktails and one bottle of wine, around £250.

66 Knightsbridge, SW1X 7LA; theaubreycollection.com/london