Japanese restaurant Shackfuyu turns pop-up to permanent

Part of the same family as the izakaya-inspired Bone Daddies and Flesh & Bones (that’s a Japanese pub, in case you didn’t know) Shackfuyu began life as a pop-up in Soho. It proved so successful that in December it re-launched as a permanent restaurant. Here head chef Ben Hughes gives us the lowdown and shares his recipe for baby spinach with goma, a dressing made with soy sauce, rice vinegar and sesame paste.

Throughout his career Ben has cooked many different cuisines, from Chinese with Kylie Kwong in Sydney to Italian at Locanda Locatelli in London. His first job in the capital was working at the now defunct Vietnamese eatery Nahm, at the luxury Halkin Hotel.

Was it always the plan to go permanent with Shackfuyu?
In the beginning, Shackfuyu was intended to be an experimental pop-up with an expiry date. However our customers demonstrated that there was room for a permanent Shackfuyu. Personally I always hoped there would be, but never in my wildest dreams did I imagine such an amazing makeover.

Which are your most popular dishes?
I would say that the most popular dish is our Kinako French toast with soft serve green tea ice cream. But other favourites such as prawn toast masquerading as okonomiyaki, Korean fried wings, monkfish cheeks with chilli pepper and lemon mayo, and charcoal-grilled Iberico pork pluma served with a rich, buttery spring onion and black pepper miso have also become signature dishes.

How would you describe your style of cooking?
I like to have fun with food , and that's why I love Bone Daddies. I’m probably also quite a decadent cook. I'm not afraid to use a bit (lot!)of butter, duck fat or pork fat. After all "fat is flavour"! And it has been a while since a customer had to ask for extra sauce. That doesn't mean I don't appreciate a good salad, and for me tasty veg and greens are things of beauty. Just expect to find them all "dressed to the nines" on my table!

How did you learn to cook Japanese food?
Growing up in Sydney, I had plenty of Asian influence and was familiar with Japanese ingredients and some simple techniques. Then a few years after I moved to London, I got a job working at Roka on Charlotte Street. That's where I learnt there was a lot more to Japanese food than just sushi and sashimi.

How can someone who is a novice attempt a good Japanese dish?
There are millions of step-by-step recipes and videos online. Or if you prefer to use cookbooks, one of the first Japanese cookbooks I ever bought was "Japanese Cooking- A Simple Art" by Shizuo Tsuji. When you cook a new recipe for the first time, try to follow it as accurately as possible and then once you become more familiar with it you can adjust and modify it to suit your tastes.

Do you have a recipe you can share with us?
Baby spinach with goma dressing, shredded carrot, cucumber, wakame, sesame seed.

Ingredients:
250g baby spinach (washed)
½ large, de-seeded cucumber
1 shredded or grated carrot
2 nori sheets. shredded as finely as possible
Sesame seeds, to garnish

Goma dressing ingredients:
5 tbsp mayonnaise
2 tbsp sesame paste
1 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tsp soy
1-2 tsp sugar
1-2 tsp salt
2 tsp sesame oil

Method:
Combine all ingredients for sesame dressing in a small bowl, mix well and set aside.

Peel and grate carrot, then halve and de-seed cucumber and cut into thick slices or batons.

In a large mixing bowl dress the spinach, shredded carrot and cucumber slices with sesame dressing.

Transfer dressed salad onto your chosen serving dish, then garnish with a few extra cucumber slices, sesame seeds and shredded nori.