Hidden behind a wall in Mayfair is a fine-dining Japanese restaurant with a well-deserved Michelin star.

With the touch of a button which aptly reads ‘touch to enter’, what looks like an average wall front in Mayfair becomes UMU – a restaurant with an out-of-this-world menu which takes you to Japan with its atmosphere, décor, welcoming staff and exquisite food.

There’s an open sushi kitchen where you can sit surrounding the talented chefs who handcraft each individual piece of food as you watch, solidifying UMU’s position in London’s high-end restaurant scene.

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Executive Chef Ryo Kamatsu brings a unique perspective shaped by his Argentinian-Japanese heritage.

Trained in the art of Kaiseki, at the prestigious two Michelin-starred Kaiseki Ichimonji in Tokyo, Chef Ryo's culinary skill reflects a harmonious blend of tradition and innovation.

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Preparing to celebrate its 20th anniversary this September, UMU’s food offering includes a new summer menu centred around a Kyoto cuisine – with a commitment to craftsmanship.

Every dish is presented perfectly and each ingredient is evidently of a high-quality with flavours which have been carefully considered to complement each other.

The new summer menu gears towards lighter dishes with Japanese and European summer vegetables and line-caught fish sourced from Cornwall and the British Isles.

My boyfriend and I went to UMU on a Thursday evening and were met by welcoming hosts and staff who greeted us unanimously in Japanese – already showing the restaurant was effervescing with authenticity and kindness.

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We chose a few things from the main menu to share, although there is also the option to go for a specially-crafted set menu if you’d prefer to have your dishes chosen for you.

We went for a sashimi platter and vegetable tempura as appetisers, followed by four sushi choices, followed by a main course.

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Each dish and course is worthy of its own discussion, because it really was THAT good.

Not only were the sashimi platters crafted artistically and aesthetically, but every single piece of fish melted in your mouth and was complemented by the different sauces which our waiters had advised we have with each piece.

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Some were thinly sliced, others thicker, and some lightly seared, and you could just tell that the quality and care that was put into every single taste was top notch.

The vegetable tempura was light and crunchy, while each sushi piece was bursting with flavour.

I went for three fish pieces – a seared tuna, a tuna with miso and a yellowtail, and then one aubergine piece. The presentation was almost like the food wasn’t edible, in a good way, but it genuinely looked too perfect to eat.

The tuna was the best fish I’ve ever eaten, and each piece was meaty with a generous amount of rice.

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For a main course my boyfriend had the Wagyu beef, which he hasn’t stopped talking about since. It was rare in the middle and seared on the outside and came in small bite size cubes.

My tuna back and belly main was filling, generous and each piece had its own unique flavour – some more fishy, some more meaty, and some more soft to each.

I didn’t want the meal to end, but by the time it did, I had a full stomach, heart, and was pretty tipsy.

All of Umu’s culinary offerings are complemented by an extensive selection of premium sake curated by head sommelier Ryan Johnson – a Londoner with a profound passion for Japanese culture.

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Through dedication and perseverance, Ryan has mastered the art of sake service, earning the esteemed Kikisake-shi certification from the Japanese Sake Service Institute.

The sake list is comprehensive and features breweries Ryan has spent time at, from vintage declaring producer Kuheiji in Aichi and Souhomare in Tochigi who specialises in the ancient Kimoto brewing.

We tasted some incredible wines and sakes – some stronger than others – and admittedly some I could finish more easily than others.

We absolutely did not need dessert but when the menu is as good as UMU’s, saying no is not a viable option.

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I had a chocolate tart which literally oozed down my throat and finished my meal off irresistibly sweetly.

We haven’t stopped talking about the restaurant, the food, the staff – and I will recommend UMU to anyone that I can.

To celebrate its 20th anniversary, UMU is hosting a Sake Partner dinner on September 13 from 6.45pm to 10pm for £250pp.

There is also Moët & Chandon dinners on September 17 and 18.

Both can be booked online.