Otaku chef Max Posener launches Kickstarter for first restaurant

Max Posener, the chef behind supper club Otaku, is launching a Kickstarter campaign to fund his first permanent restaurant.

The Kickstarter page goes live on Friday, 11 September, ahead of the campaign's official launch on Saturday, 12 September, with a target of £75,000.

For the past two years, diners have travelled to a quiet corner of Finchley, North London, for Otaku, Max's 18-course tasting menu served from his parents' kitchen.

What began as a personal project has grown into one of London's most talked-about underground dining experiences, known for its bold flavours, meticulous attention to detail and ever-changing menu. The final Otaku service took place in August, and Max is now turning his attention to his first permanent restaurant.

To help bring it to life, backers can secure a range of exclusive rewards, from a private cooking lesson with Max to the chance to have their name on the founder's plaque in the new restaurant.

Two years in a home kitchen

Otaku seats ten guests around the family kitchen table, which opens onto the garden, with ingredients sometimes picked the same day.

The menu blends Japanese-leaning technique with playful reinterpretations of comfort food, from a langoustine bite styled on a corn dog to a take on pad thai and puddings pairing chocolate with salt and vinegar pork scratchings.

In Max's words

Max said: "I've cooked every Otaku service from my parents' kitchen. They've been incredibly patient, but I think they'd quite like it back.

"Otaku started because I wanted to prove I could cook the kind of food I believed in. Over the last two years it's grown into something much bigger than I expected, but I've always known it was a stepping stone to my first restaurant.

"A permanent restaurant is the natural progression. It's where I want to be chasing Michelin stars, while having the time and space to keep developing the food and the experience.

"Kickstarter felt like the right way to make that happen because the people who've eaten at Otaku already understand what we're trying to build."

{contribute-overlay}

From Ynyshir to Otaku

Max's journey into professional cooking began after a meal at Gareth Ward's two-Michelin-starred Ynyshir in Wales, an experience that changed the way he thought about food. He went on to train at the restaurant before continuing his career in London, including at one-Michelin-starred Cycene, before launching Otaku as his first independent venture.

The name Otaku comes from the Japanese word describing someone with an obsessive devotion to their craft, a detail-driven approach that has shaped every aspect of the supper club and will form the foundation of the permanent restaurant.

Kickstarter reward tiers

Backers can choose from 11 tiers:

• £25, Founder's Plaque: name on the founder's plaque in the restaurant.
• £50, Otaku Silver Card: limited to 500, with priority bookings, a buy-one-get-one-free first drink each month and entry into an annual draw for a complimentary meal.
• £250, Pre-Opening Launch Party: limited to 20, including an early look around the restaurant, drinks and canapés, plus an Otaku Silver Card.
• £500, Dinner for Two Pre-Booking: limited to 100, including a fully paid dinner for two to be booked within the restaurant's first six months, plus two Silver Cards.
• £750, Ceramics Masterclass with Muzuri Ware: limited to two, including an afternoon workshop with artisan ceramicist Kyri Mouzouris, with canapés provided by Max.
• £1,000, Opening Fortnight Dinner for Two plus Otaku Black Card: limited to 12, including a complimentary dinner for two during the first two weeks and an Otaku Black Card. Only 100 Black Cards will ever be issued, with benefits including complimentary signature drinks on arrival throughout the year, priority bookings and waiting list access, advance information on artist appearances in the Jazz Bar, enhanced odds in the annual complimentary-meal draw and Otaku Rewards.
• £1,500, Cooking Lesson with Chef Max: limited to two, including a three-hour pre-opening cooking lesson for four people and Otaku Black Cards for all.
• £2,000, Opening Night Dinner for Two plus Otaku Black Card: limited to eight, including a fully paid dinner for two on opening night with a full drinks pairing.
• £5,000, Private Home-Cooked Dinner: limited to three, with Max cooking a five-course tasting menu at the backer's home for ten guests, plus Black Cards for all.
• £7,500, Restaurant Private Hire: limited to three, offering private hire of the restaurant for 16 guests within its first 12 months, plus Black Cards for all.

Otaku's Kickstarter campaign can be found via this link.