I am feeling grateful a lot these days. Lest I become one of those self-help blogs (not that there is anything wrong with them), I will leave that there and refrain from writing a post entitled “10 Reasons Why You Should Be Grateful Too.” Instead I will simply reflect, positively so, on the mindshifts I’ve been experiencing lately. Guys, I think I’m going to become a Buddhist.
Who am I kidding? I don’t even know what being a Buddhist means means. I just know I like this guy, whom my friend Aileen introduced me to a couple of months ago. (She didn’t introduce him to me in person of course. Just via the interwebs. He’s very ill at the moment, actually.)
Let’s go back to being grateful. It was this spirit of gratefulness that led me to say “yes” when the extremely, extremely kind people at Kouzu, — a new Japanese restaurant catty-corner from the Middleton’s favorite hotel, The Goring — got in touch and invited me and a friend to visit. I have already written a lot on the subject of blogger freebies. So have a lot of other people. And you know what? I’m tired. And I don’t care anymore. Life is yours to live. Live it. Be grateful for the doors that open in life, especially the doors that let you close those others you’ve been holding open for too long.
Be grateful for delicious pear-y cocktails at Kouzu made by the particularly competent and endearing barman. I was very pleasantly surprised by the seriousness of the cocktails at Kouzu. I wish we had had more cocktails. Especially after my friend broke her glass of wine all over our table and the floor, drastically cutting into our alcohol consumption.
Still thinking about the delish yellowtail with truffle at @kouzu_london last night. Thanks again @jprmediagroup A photo posted by Krista (@kristainlondon) on
Be grateful for the soft and lovely yellowtail with truffles that starts your night off just right.
And then be grateful that a girl that you don’t know can lean across a restaurant table during dinner to kiss her boyfriend and set her hair on fire and survive to tell the tale. (Wish away the smell of burnt hair in the moments afterwards…wish it away.)
See, this is why no one should ever invite me for an “invite to review.” Because when you invite strangers into your space, you can’t control what will happen, what people will see, what people will feel. And I, unfortunately, will write about the things that do happen and the things that I see and the things that I feel. As long as everyone is cool with that, we’re cool. We’re grateful!
Hey, the spicy — crunchy — tuna rolls happened and they were fab. I could happily survive on these forever. Also happening…the aburi. All the aburi! We delighted in the aburi. My friend hasn’t stopped talking about the aburi since. It’s getting a little annoying, actually. (Aburi is nigri, partially grilled.)
Less happening: the lamb chops. But then again, after eating lamb chops at Tayyabs all these years, I don’t think I can eat anyone else’s lamb chops again. I wanted the lamb chops at Kouzu to be more smoky, more barbecued.
Most happening: Aromatherapy Associates in the loos! I love Aromatherapy Associates!! I am grateful for Aromatherapy Associates. You should be too.
Also most happening: Beautiful chairs. I am a sucker for beautiful restaurant chairs.
In sum, everything at Kouzu is very beautifully presented. And our server, a wonderfully lovely marine biologist from Poland, was absolutely perfect and fantastic. It was refreshing to have a server who knew something about fish!! (Discussion topic of the night: bottom feeders, literally and figuratively.) Idea…all marine biologists should intern in Japanese restaurants!
Not so perfect and fantastic…there was only one other table of two seated in the entire restaurant when we arrived. Where did Kouzu try to seat us?? Right next to the only other people in the restaurant.
Me to everyone: “Uh, this is weird.”
Couple mainly to the hostess: “You must be joking. Look at all those empty tables!”
Me: “Seriously, can’t you seat us somewhere else? This is so weird.”
I know there is an order of things and there are reservations and logistics and operations to figure out but…this was just weird.
Also weird… after the hair incident, having to point out the large, burnt hunk of sad blond hair lying on the floor outside the handicapped loo.
See…this is why no one should never invite me anywhere. Danger! Danger!
The Verdict: I like Kouzu. I will gladly return and eat all their yellowtail with truffle and drink all their Japanese pear margaritas. You should come with me so we can eat all their spicy tuna rolls together. Let’s just not set anything on fire.
Big Bad Disclosure: My friend and I were guests of Kouzu. Our meal was roughly valued at £140 or so. This was extremely generous of Kouzu. Extremely. I am very grateful to them because it meant I got to spend a night out with my friend who has 3-year-old twins and is limited in her social cavorting. It was nice to be able to treat her. I was grateful for that opportunity.
