From Kanagawa, Japan, to London via Tokyo and Michelin stars, east London has a new restaurant on the seventh floor of Stratford’s most striking tower
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The calm interior of Kokin – a restaurant recently opened on the seventh floor of The Stratford hotel in E20 – somewhat belies the elemental forces at work in its kitchen.
The soft light that streams through full height glazing falls on the gentle greens and greys of its furnishings.
There’s a lot of exposed wood and playful music in the air.
But sit with chef Daisuke Shimoyama for a while and it quickly becomes clear this is a place of contradictions.
It’s a space tailored to fine dining, but one he’s determined to make accessible and welcoming to locals.
His food is exacting, but honed on primal flames, smoke and charcoal.
He’s softly spoken and polite, but there’s passion smouldering beneath the surface.
“I started working in my uncle’s restaurant in Kanagawa, Japan, when I was 13 years old, washing dishes,” said Daisuke, whose family were widely involved in the hospitality sector, selling kitchen equipment.
“In the beginning I wasn’t really interested in cooking. I watched my uncle and my family making food, but I was more into playing computer games.
“At the start I didn’t like working in the restaurant.
“My uncle was very strict and would wake me at 6am to go to the fish market. I didn’t like the smell, but gradually I got used to it.
“Then a few years later, I found myself really beginning to enjoy it.
“I went on to work in many different kinds of restaurant – big hotels, small places – and when I was 27 years old, I joined Ryugin in Tokyo, which completely changed the way I thought about everything.”
from Umu to Hannah and now, Kokin…
Now recognised by Michelin with a maximum three stars, Ryugin had Daisuke working gruelling shifts that would begin on Saturday mornings and finish on Sunday evenings.
He relished it. While on this fresh path, he immersed himself in Kappou and Kaiseki cuisine, mastering intricate techniques such as processing massive eels and filleting poisonous puffer fish.
He also trained as a professional sake sommelier, before setting out to explore the world.
That journey eventually led him to London where, 14 years ago, he joined Michelin-starred Umu in Mayfair as sous-chef, before rising to become the restaurant’s head chef.
“I learnt a lot, working in Japan – not just about food, but also about mindset,” said Daisuke.
“While I was at Umu, I also decided to pursue my own vision of street food on my days off via a venture in Brick Lane.
“This was selling Japanese comfort food, katsu, tempura and rice and I did that for six years, before launching my own restaurant, Hannah, at County Hall in central London.”
The venue combined a wide range of influences from Daisuke’s experiences growing up in rural Gunma to his time in Tokyo and London.
“I really loved cooking there,” he said.
“But we were serving Omakase tasting menus at £125 or £185 for eight or 11 courses.
“Sometimes that can take three hours.
“It’s wonderful, but it’s a commitment.
“With this opportunity at The Stratford, I really want to make something more approachable.
“I’ve completely changed my style again – it’s something I’ve always done, actually.
“Kokin serves food that’s in some ways similar to Hannah, but it’s more approachable and here I’m using fire and charcoal really as ingredients in the cooking.
“These are primitive things.
“For me, fire reminds me of when I was a child, it’s full of memories.
“It really adds something aromatic to the food.
“We’ve only just opened so there hasn’t really been time yet, but I want to be out on the floor talking to guests at their tables about the food – I love to make customers happy.
“I want this to be a place where local people feel comfortable coming and to welcome them as friends.
“Of course, business is important, but community is essential.”
dining at Kokin
As for the food, dishes are available a la carte or via set lunch menus.
There’s a strong focus on seafood, but with the smoke of apple and cherry wood running throughout the creations.
“There’s a clear drive to offer twists and unexpected combinations to keep everything fresh too.
“We serve bluefin tuna from Portugal, for example,” said Daisuke. “In fine dining, chefs generally only use otoro, the fatty belly of the fish.
“But we also present akami, leaner cuts and chutoro, which both offer different, subtle flavours.
“We’re also using the kama, the collar of the fish, cooked for around three hours at a low temperature – it’s similar to a steak in some ways and comes bone-in.
“I want to introduce people to unusual cuts – we also deep-fry the tail.”
Ably supported by long-term colleague, Shukyee Chow, Daisuke and the team are as quietly stoked as their fires to welcome as many people through Kokin’s doors as possible.
from the past to the present
The restaurant takes its name from the Japanese terms for past and present – an intentional reference to the comparatively “primitive” fire that sears its way through the venue’s menu and the modern techniques found in its dishes.
“We have many modern pieces of kitchen equipment in the restaurant world – convection ovens, for example,” said Daisuke.
“It’s very easy for chefs, there’s no need to spend three hours cooking something on a flame.
“But using fire in this way, for me, gives greater depth to the dishes.
“I’m always working with the smoke and the heat and watching because every piece of fish is different and needs to be carefully observed.”
key details: Kokin
Kokin is located at The Stratford hotel in, well, Stratford.
The restaurant is open from noon-2pm for lunch and from 5pm-10pm for dinner from Tuesday to Sunday and is closed on Mondays.
Find out more about the restaurant here
Read more: Brother Marcus opens its doors in Canary Wharf
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