12 minute read
FOOD REVIEW
Robun
4 Princes Buildings, George Street, Bath BA1 2ED; Tel: 01225 614424; robun.co.uk
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Review
Melissa Blease discovers some tantalising Japanese dishes at Robun’s new fine dining establishment in George Street –from Chicken Karaage and Nasu Dengaku to Bluefin Tuna Tatare and Japanese Mochi –and talks to CEO Roger Payne
Zensai, karaage and ikageso; moriawase, kaburimaki and fukusai: my notes for this review of Robun – the brand new, super-stylish Japanese-themed restaurant on George Street – are sending my spellcheck into meltdown, let alone testing my (limited) knowledge of authentic Japanese food to the limits. Where to start? Ask an expert!
“For sure, it’s very different to more familiar restaurant menus; it’s a work of art!,” says Roger Payne, CEO of Enhanced Hospitality, the fascinating company responsible for enhancing the eating out scene in Bath. “But it really is a menu for everybody. I wouldn’t say it’s a grazing menu, but it’s certainly worth sharing your way through it; the Nigiri and Sashimi Set, for example, is a wonderful starter for four or a main course for two, and the Ribeye Wagyu – the best steak you could possibly imagine – arrives at the table small-chopped, perfect for picking at alongside other dishes. Personally, I’m a massive fan of the Wagyu Beef Tataki starter, and the Bluefin Tuna Tatare is, to my mind, incredible. After that, perhaps Black Cod in a Den Misu marinade, maybe share some prawns or ribs too, and make sure you have the hand-finished Kimchee Fried Rice with an egg on top – oh, delicious! I’m getting hungry now, my mouth is watering...”
Mine too – which is why I ate at Robun not long after I’d talked to Roger. But before we sat down to eat, I was hungry for more from this convivial Bath resident who has been a restaurateur since the 1980s and whose boutique hospitality company is also responsible for London’s highly acclaimed Ginsa St. James Japanese dining experience as well as providing fresh, wholly authentic Japanese food to Selfridges’ food hall.
“I was at the traffic lights on George Street about a year ago when I saw that the restaurant space was available,” says Roger. “What a great location! Bath’s gastronomic scene has really, really blossomed over the last few years; there are some fantastic operators here now, really wonderful. But I wanted to bring something different, something new, to the city, and I believed that a Japanese-themed restaurant would fit right in.”
‘Fitting in’ has turned out to be an understatement. Since opening its doors at the end of July, Bathonians have cheerfully chopsticked their way through that menu to rapturous results. “We had one family who came twice in one day; they had a small plate of Maki Rolls for lunch and decided to come back for dinner!” says Roger. “The menu suits all budgets, and children and young people love it too. Yes, you can blow out on the Wagyu beef or a whole lobster. But there are soya and mirin ribs too, and beef sirloin – you could have steak and wasabi fries for the same price as steak and chips in a gastropub; you can choose what you want to spend. And because we’re a fresh food restaurant with an open kitchen, everything on the menu is prepared to order so it’s easy to create spectacular vegetarian dishes and bespoke orders to specific dietary requirements, which fits in with the current modern ethos. I know we’re good at what we do, but we’ve been bowled over by the reception in Bath.” And on that note, I went to find out why.
Robun’s airy, spacious dining room brings ancient Japanese design traditions around balance, order, symmetry and cool, cool colour together in perfect harmony, while subtle floral flourishes and beautifully detailed Japanese artwork further adds to the effortlessly chic vibe. It’s the kind of environment that makes you welcome whether you’re dolled up in full-on formal dinner attire or you’ve dropped in on a whim while shopping on Milsom Street: special but not snooty, and glamorous in an unforeboding, understated way.
Once settled at our table, the menu that creates so much spellcheck havoc felt far less... well, daunting; elegantly succinct summaries of each dish gently guide you along the way, and the impressively wellinformed, friendly staff are easy-going tour guides.
Given such an environment, pre-dinner cocktails seemed appropriate; cue curtain up on Robun’s thoroughly theatrical Old Fashioned, served on a glass bell dome that, when the cloche was lifted, briefly surrounded us with a deeply seductive waft of whiskysuffused smoke. Our tipple was perfectly partnered with a generous tumble of flamed edamame coated with a bold chilli paste sauce... and after that, the magic really started to happen.
Our feast of Robun highlights included, in the first wave, a dish of salaciously juicy fried Chicken Karaage (think, a super-elegant Japanese version of a certain well-known high street brand of fried chicken), the pop-pop-pop of the chicken counterbalanced by a second very sophisticated opening dish of silky slivers of Wagyu Beef Tataki bathed in a delicately tangy ponzu sauce.
The waves continued to wash up over our table, bringing semitranslucent Bluefin Tuna Tartare in a light dressing of more yuzu, this time with sesame oil; featherlight, spice-sprinkled tempura-battered Vegetable Kakiage; massive, whole grilled king prawns drenched in garlic-infused shiso butter; glossy lamb cutlets still gleaming after their 24-hour Korean-glaze marinade; deeply umami Nasu Dengaku (how –how! – a chef can do something this beautiful with slices of aubergine is totally beyond me)... and sweet, lustrous little bite-sized cubes of rich, buttery Wagyu beef, served with hot/sour/salty Namjin, fascinating truffled teriyaki and fun-packed pepper sauces.
Every dish was exquisitely composed; every component (herbs, flowers, spices; pools of miso, piles of caviar; tangles of crispy noodles, shredded daikon, delicate strings of carrot, and more) had a place, and every component made the most of that place. Sprinkles of sesame seeds added sprinkles of stardust, a dinky little pile of crispy onions looked like tourmaline gemstones discovered in an ancient jewellery box – even the perfectly fried egg on top of the Kimchee Fried Rice was a catwalk superstar, ready for its close-up. And after all that... Japanese Mochi, rice-wrapped ice cream dumplings (yes, really) and a black truffle chocolate torte so good that even I, who claims not to be a fan of ‘the sweet stuff’, was almost moved to tears.
But after all the intriguing questions that the menu raised and all the answers that Robun so gracefully supplied, one enigma remained.
Why the restaurant’s name? “Kanagaki Robun was a late 19thcentury Japanese author, journalist and food writer,” says Roger. “He’s widely credited as being the father of Yakiniku, a Japanese term that, in its broadest sense, refers to grilled meat cuisine – Japanese barbecue, if you like – and he was the first person to link western and eastern food. Robun was also the very first publisher of Manga comic art in the world, hence our full size, Manga-inspired murals! We sincerely hope that, in doing what we do, we’re doing him proud.” This is fine dining at its best, unstuffy and great value for money. Gochisousama, Robun! n
Prices for selected dishes: Chicken Karaage £7.75; Wagyu Beef Tataki £14.95; Bluefin Tuna Tartare £15.95; Vegetable Kakiage £9.95; Nasu Dengaku £6.95; Ribeye Wagyu 3 Sauces £49; Kimchee Fried Rice £13.50
CITYNEWS
NEW MUSICAL DIRECTOR
THE HANDFUL is delighted to introduce its new Musical Director, Vicente Chavarría. A graduate of the Royal College of Music, Universities of Miami and Southern California, and the University of Leuven, Vicente is a conductor, composer, performer and scholar now based in London. He has conducted numerous orchestras in London and abroad, assisted Vladimir Ashkenazy, Bernard Haitink, Andre Gourlay, Maxim Vengerov and Holly Mathieson, and has been Assistant Conductor for the RCM Opera Studio and English Touring Opera. Vicente currently performs with Dowland Works (with Dame Emma Kirkby), and previously with LASchola, BachCollegium San Diego, the Boston Camerata and Park Collegium (Belgium). A pupil of Morten Lauridsen and Haris Kittos, his compositions and arrangements have been performed across the globe. THE HANDFUL’s next concert is Serenity –Songs of Blessing and Reflection, on 4 December at 7.30pm, St Mary’s Church Bathwick. thehandful.org
A WINTER BALL
The Testicular Ball is coming to Bath. Every other year, It’s in the Bag Cancer Support organise an event to celebrate the work of the charity and to showcase the way they support men with Testicular Cancer in the south west of England. In previous years the event has been hosted in Bristol, but this year it is coming to the Apex City of Bath hotel.
Every year 2,400 men are diagnosed with testicular cancer and of those 240 are in the south west of England. It’s in the Bag began in 2009 with the aims of supporting men and their families at diagnosis and through and after treatment, raising awareness to ensure early detection and celebrating the 98% cure rate of the disease. The ball is a great way to show all the work the company has continued to do and to give out some Golden Pants Awards!
The Winter Testicular Ball is on Saturday 20 November at 7pm at Apex City of Bath Hotel. Black Tie. Tickets £35 each or £300 for a table of ten. Includes welcome drink, three-
course dinner and live entertainment. itsinthebag.org.uk
THIRD YEAR RECOGNITION
Private Client Partner at Mogers Drewett, David Hill has been recognised by the prestigious Chambers High Net Worth Guide for the third year in a row. Published every July, Chambers independently researches lawyers across the UK by interviewing clients and accessing the quality of work and then ranking the top performing lawyers in its High Net Worth Guide.
In the guide, clients of Private Client Partner David Hill state he is “fantastic” adding “He is really great with people and is able to do that difficult thing of balancing being solid on the technical side and covering client care."
David’s practice includes estate and succession planning and advisers interviewed for the Guide say: “David relates well to his clients and expresses himself to them in a comprehensive and fully understandable way and that’s why we work alongside him.” mogersdrewett.com
BUY A BAG
The Fashion Museum has launched a Buy-a-Bag fundraising campaign to help to raise £17,500 before 31 December. The museum needs 1,400 archival garment bags to get this much-loved collection ready for its move out of the Assembly Rooms in Spring 2023. Each archival bag will protect a garment from dust, pest and light during and after the move.
Rosemary Harden, Fashion Museum Manager, said: “The-Buy-a-Bag campaign is one of the first ways the public can get involved in this once-in-a-generation move of the collection. Your help will have a lasting impact. Packing and protecting the collection properly now means we can share more of it, and in new ways, after the move.”
Donors will be able to donate as many bags as they like. In exchange for their help, they will be able to choose from a range of rewards. These include a late-night event in 2022 and private tours of the museum galleries before the fashions on display are carefully packed away for the move. fashionmuseum.co.uk/support
ORGAN SCHOLAR
The Music Department at Bath Abbey will be joined by its very first Organ Scholar, David Bryson, in September. Following success in his A Levels, David has secured a place at the University of Bath to study Computer Science and will also join the abbey as the first recipient of the Dr Martin Clarke Organ Scholarship.
David will join the Abbey from Eton College where he studied the organ as a Music Scholar. He discovered his love for the organ aged two but had to wait until he was six to start lessons. In 2012, he joined St John’s College Choir, Cambridge, and in 2016 he became the first serving chorister to give a recital as part of the College’s Organ Recital series. Huw Williams, Director of Music at Bath Abbey said: “Having an excellent young organist and musician in our midst will offer many exciting possibilities and we greatly look forward to welcoming him in September.” bathabbey.org
Buying a listed building:
The dos and don’ts you need to know
Listed buildings account for approximately 2% of England’s built heritage. When a building is ‘listed’ it is included on the statutory list of “buildings of special architectural or historic interest.” The List status is intended to protect buildings from alterations that may negatively impact their character or historical context.
In practical terms for the owner, it means you need Listed-Building Consent in addition to planning consent for any changes. In the majority of cases the classification protects the entire building, along with any structures attached to the building, including outbuildings, garden walls and even garden statues.
This may sound daunting but don’t let it put you off. The uniqueness of a listed building is probably what made you fall in love with it in the first place.
Residential Property Partner, Alison Treble shares her top points to consider before embarking on a listed project.
Identify which grade the property falls into
A check on the National Heritage List of England website will provide a copy of the entry particular to the property you are buying. There are three grades: •Grade I (2.5% of listed buildings) – buildings of exceptional interest. •Grade II* (5.5% of listed buildings) – buildings of particular importance. •Grade II (92% of listed buildings) – buildings of special architectural or historic interest.
Do your homework
It is extremely important to check that any alterations have been authorised prior to purchasing a property as the cost of rectifying any non-approved alterations can be expensive. The most common alterations and therefore areas to look out for are:
•Double glazing/plastic guttering •En-suite bathrooms •Changes to layout •Removal of fireplaces •Opening up of rooms/removal of internal walls Your solicitor will carry out the appropriate checks for you so choosing a solicitor who specialises in listed buildings is recommended.
If in doubt check
Once you have purchased a Listed property remember that it is a criminal offence to make unauthorised changes.The penalties include unlimited fine and up to two years imprisonment.
If you are considering purchasing a listed building and would like some advice please contact Alison Treble on 01225 750 000 or email Alison.treble@mogersdrewett.com.
