Mayfair has no shortage of Japanese restaurants, but few arrive with the theatrical intent of MA/NA. Opened in May on Upper Grosvenor Street by Markus Thesleff, the impresario behind Los Mochis and LUNA Omakase, this is Japanese dining reimagined as full scale spectacle.
The experience begins before you reach the table. A doorman in suave tailoring sweeps guests through a long, winding bar area where a house DJ sets the tone, past oversized bonsai trees and gold statement lighting, down to the dining room below. It is designed to impress and it does, balancing the intimacy of a private club with the volume of a destination venue.
The menu is divided into small plates, robata, sushi, steak cuts and large plates, a structure that encourages sharing and ordering with ambition. Rock shrimp tempura arrives in a glazed sticky sauce that vanishes faster than seems possible. Chicken thigh skewers from the robata grill carry that particular Japanese char, smoky and juicy in equal measure. A twelve piece sushi platter, chef selected, is assembled with the precision of a jewellery display, each piece as good to look at as it is to eat.
The standout dish comes with a price tag to match its ambition. Japanese A5 Wagyu, sliced thin and served on a hot Himalayan salt stone that sears the meat from its own heat. The fat renders on contact, the salt seasons from below, and the result is the kind of melt in the mouth experience that justifies the word premium without making you wince. It is theatrical dining that actually delivers on flavour.
Cocktails follow the same philosophy. Martinis are poured tableside, a detail that sounds small until you experience it, and the bar programme extends from classic Japanese highballs to elaborate signatures that complement the kitchen without competing with it.
MA/NA sits at the intersection of several London trends, the continued rise of Japanese cuisine, the demand for dining that doubles as a night out, and the willingness of Mayfair diners to pay for both. Thesleff understands this territory better than most. His previous openings have made luxury feel effortless rather than stuffy, and MA/NA continues that thread. The wagyu on salt stone might be the Instagram moment, but it is the detail in the sushi rice and the char on the robata that will bring people back.
