Marty Lau: The Araki has changed British culture

The Staff Canteen

Setting up a restaurant in London a decade ago solely based around sushi was a bold decision.

But there was also plenty of logic, tapping into a multicultural and vibrant city. And if anyone could do it, it would be Mitsuhiro Araki.

Described by The Araki’s current head chef Marty Lau as the Steven Spielberg of sushi, Mitsuhiro took the advice of legendary chef French chef Joël Robuchon and brought his skills to London.

Widespread acclaim soon followed, The Araki in London following its Tokyo counterpart and earning three Michelin stars in 2018, having gained two stars in the guide two years earlier.

But, as Marty explained, there were challenges to overcome when first opening in 2014, trying to bring a much-loved cuisine from Japan to the UK.

Adapting Traditional Sushi to the UK Market

“The idea of sushi that you have to understand is that the history is there in Tokyo,” he said.

“It's already been established for hundreds of years. The fishermen know what the chef is looking for. Handling process, and the care and dedication, love, that is connected to the Japanese culture is something that you really first need to appreciate. You need to inherit that spirit. Your soul must be dedicated into treating the ingredient with the greatest and utmost respect.

“Our style of cuisine is extremely simple. We're just using the best ingredients with as much love and care as possible. That's the first step of transplanting it from there to here.

“Next up is the fishermen and the produce. So back 10 years ago, it was never about the quality catch, it was always about the quantity. But what we've seen transform is that after COVID, after Brexit, the silver lining for those things was a much better-established logistics system, people taking a lot more care and pride into what they have locally in the UK waters.

“And that's something that I've tremendously benefited from, meeting many more suppliers, more day boat fish, more specialists in their craft, and I can see a genuine interest in the preservation techniques and the killing techniques of the Japanese school of fishery.

“So that is something that I've been excited to grow alongside in tandem with, trying to bring up that level here in Europe and especially in the UK.”

Read: First sushi college of its kind outside of Japan opens in London

Marty Lau, The Araki, Mitsuhiro Araki, lost three Michelin stars, sushi London

He added: “The trouble is seasonality here is not as clear cut as in Japan. In Japan you have very distinctive things you will serve during each season, which has been the biggest challenge of London.

“Here we have to work with the local produce and develop our own dishes, which would be acceptable in Tokyo, wanted by the customers in London and also still traditional sushi.

“Ten years ago, the English market for gourmet was still very much in its infancy, especially when it comes to international cuisine. Since, it's really picked up and we've had some incredible places doing more innovations and very much on the front line of world cuisine being at the top.

“So one of the hardest things for my master was adjusting from the level of ingredients and the seasonality in Tokyo, where you would have access to that. He would be able to go in every morning to the fish market, pick out the best ingredients, not in just Japan, the world. You come to London and he’d go to Billingsgate and there's a bit of a different story there.

“Culturally also it was a massive thing to say you come at this time, you eat what we give you and we take £300 deposit before the meal. That didn’t exist before. We made those changes, we changed the culture. And I think that's one of the proudest things my master can say. He never expected to move to London of all places and to educate people about it.

“And now it's become a craze. You see omakase becoming a catchphrase, it is now the word, the style of cuisine.”

Marty Lau, The Araki, Mitsuhiro Araki, lost three Michelin stars, sushi London

Michelin Stars and Resilience: Marty Lau’s Determination to Succeed

Marty joined the journey in 2015 and, in 2019, was handed the reins to run the restaurant as Master Araki departed.

Despite Mitsuhiro still visiting regularly and owning the restaurant, Marty was soon dealt a big blow, Michelin removing all three of the restaurant’s stars in one go in 2020.

“It was heartbreaking, to say the least,” said Marty.

“Me and my master had spent the best part of five years of our lives together, building up and trying to make this space one of the greatest establishments in Europe with regards to sushi.

“And to have all of the stars taken away, it came as somewhat of a shock, let's put it that way.

“But my master has been the greatest pillar of support throughout it all. He said it is just something that you can now use as a way to keep humble and motivate yourself.

“I've never looked back. My customers have been my greatest saviour as well. Those people have kept me going for the last five years that we've been running without Michelin stars. They're the ones who instil me with faith to just keep going. My heart is fully in it. I'm ready to do this until the day I die.”

Marty Lau, The Araki, Mitsuhiro Araki, lost three Michelin stars, sushi London

The Araki is towards the top end of the fine dining market, priced at £310 per person for the omakase chef’s counter experience, which seats up to 10 people maximum, across three sittings per day.

Discussing what the restaurant offers, Marty said: “The most important thing about the style of The Araki is first you need to be able to offer yourself to the customers. The first line of contact is the greeting. With this type of experience, it's really important the customers come in with the ability to talk to the chef, the interactions, get to know what it is behind the craft because otherwise you won't appreciate the simplicity of the things.

“When I have a customer come in, I want to treat them like they're my family. It’s someone that's walked into my home and I'm here to feed you, blow your mind away and take away some of your cares and your problems. Just really immerse yourself in these next two-and-a-half hours, be in Japan, what you could imagine it to be without anything lost in translation.

“I just want to wow you because I only get one shot. If I fail it, then you won't come back. But a lot of the time they are repeat customers, so it's nice.”

The Next Generation: Marty Lau’s Aspirations for The Araki

Asked what legacy he hopes both he and The Araki will leave, Marty, who runs the London restaurant with Mitsuhiro’s daughter Manae, said: “The mark I want The Araki to leave historically is I want it to be a sushi landmark worldwide, world known, first of its kind, especially in London.

“My master achieved great things here. It should be somewhere that should be remembered as the turning point for Japanese cuisine in England, in Europe. I hope it inspires a lot of people to chase their dreams to do it better.

“For myself, I just want it to be standing for as long as I can keep it going. Hopefully I'll be able to produce the next generation here as well. That's my aspirations.”

Marty Lau, The Araki, Mitsuhiro Araki, lost three Michelin stars, sushi London

 

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The Staff Canteen

The Staff Canteen

Editor 4th February 2025

Marty Lau: The Araki has changed British culture