Where the Chefs Eat: Endo Kazutoshi's favourite restaurants in Cornwall

Endo Kazutoshi is a paradox. By day, he is the founder and head chef of Endo at the Rotunda – Sushi in the Clouds; by night, he is a lover of punk music, a regular at London hotspots such as The Roundhouse and a reveller of all things British punk culture. In a world where sushi is everywhere, from airport lounges to supermarket aisles to high-end food halls, the real skill – the art of sushi – is often diluted, if not lost entirely. But masters like Endo (himself a third-generation master behind his father and grandfather) are working tirelessly to keep authentic Edomae sushi alive. He tells me he really does “worry” about the future of sushi. “I’m working really hard with other chefs and those who train under me to keep it authentic,” he adds. He recognises that “innovation is important, but we don’t want to innovate too much away from tradition.”

Endo began learning to make sushi at the age of five and worked for 10 years in Tokyo, ending up in London by way of Madrid. He tells me, “I started [learning] 28 years ago, but with every generation, things change. When I started, it was all about working in the kitchen and cleaning up. I wasn’t allowed to touch anything to start with. It’s all about basics. I always tell everyone I’m training that sushi is very much about your mentality. That’s almost more important than the skill set.”

For eight years, he led the sushi bar of Zuma under Rainer Becker, during which time Becker opened multiple global locations outside of London. One particularly prevalent fan who often graced the Knightsbridge outpost of Zuma on her days off was the late, great Rose Grey of The River Café. She visited for Endo, and encouraged him to open his own restaurant. Fast forward to 2024, and he and I are meeting just after Endo at The Rotunda's Michelin star has been retained. He admits he was hoping for a second star (underneath the gentle vernacular and self-deprecating humour, he is clearly highly ambitious), but he is grateful for the retention of the first and, he tells me seriously, only sad he wasn’t in Manchester long enough to check out the local punk music scene.

I am curious as to how this love of British punk culture came to be. “Punk music is my soul,” he tells me earnestly. “A friend said to me, ‘Endo, punk music is incredible,’ and played me old cassette tapes. This was back in Japan. We were listening to the Sex Pistols – we didn’t understand the words, but we loved the music.” Upon landing at Heathrow airport for the first time in 2007, Endo went straight to Camden Town, “but I was so disappointed because there were no punks when I went. For me, music, food and passion are the three most important things in life. Music is how I relax on my day off; it’s my whole life.”

Work dominates Endo’s time, though. His restaurant, located on the eighth floor of the old BBC Television Centre in White City, is an exclusive space with only 12 covers, all of which face the kitchen. The restaurant adheres strictly to the principles of Omakase, an ancient Japanese art of hospitality that is rooted in empathy towards all guests. It is a far cry from that aforementioned ‘fast food sushi’ found flying around on neon restaurant belts; it is a slow, considered and deeply beautiful experience that far outshines most found elsewhere across the capital. “I just want to serve honest sushi,” Endo says. “Honesty is the key in sushi; it’s more intimate, and it’s a commitment to the guest. If you consider French and Italian food, they cook that in the kitchen, and they bring it to the table, but sushi is made in front of the guest and passed by hand.”

And one place Endo visits (four times a year, once during each season) is Cornwall. “I live in Ealing Broadway, so Cornwall is very different to where I am based,” he laughs. The real reason for his visits is to spend time with the local fisherman, from whom he sources his fish. He has spent a lot of time in Cornwall. “I did long before I was opening my restaurant,” he explains. "If it wasn’t for Cornish fish, I couldn’t make anything. Ten years ago, while I was at Zuma, I met a Japanese lady whose husband was Cornish, and she invited me to their house. That was the first step, and now I go every spring, summer, autumn and winter. I’ve met a lot of fishermen; we jump in their boats and go fishing together and, over the years, we have become very close friends.”

His understanding and knowledge of Cornish restaurants comes, he tells me, “directly from the fishermen,” though he is often happiest (and learning the most, he insists) when they invite him into their own homes and cook with him. “When I was opening my latest restaurant, it was so important when I learned about mackerel, for example, that I learnt about the water they swim in, what they’re eating and how they’re caught because all of that affects the fish. Mackerel from Cornwall is not the same as mackerel from somewhere else and it’s totally different to the mackerel we have in Japan. All these people are opening restaurants using Cornish produce, but they haven’t been to Cornwall, so how do they know what to do with it? How can they respect the fish? This is such an important part of the education.”

As such, Endo shares his five top Cornish spots that he enjoys when not dining in the homes of the local fishermen.

The Hidden Hut, Porthcurnick Beach

“I’m a professional sushi chef, but local fishermen in Cornwall know a lot more about fish than me. It's why I always listen to them, and that’s how I learn. Sometimes, I jump on a boat at night with a fisherman, and they will cook something like Dover sole. And they will have been cooking it that way for over 50 years. I ask a lot of questions. I am all about learning how to respect the fish. The Hidden Hut is very well known, but it was suggested to me by a local fisherman I respect, so I knew it would be good.”

Who comes here?

“Cornwall is so popular in the summer. Lots and lots of people from London and outside Cornwall visit, but this is a place that a lot of the local people love, so in the winter, you’ll find only Cornish there.”

Best table in the house

“All food is served so it can be eaten at one of the restaurant’s tables or out on the beach. Sitting on the sand next to the sea is the best place to eat if it’s warm and dry.”

Dish to order

“The produce is incredible, and I just really love this place. The menu changes all the time, so I can’t really tell you what to order if you go. I remember the Cornish crab and the mussels, but everything is cooked either on an outdoor stove or indoor bakery oven, and it’s so, so fresh.”

Best time to come

“I’ve been a lot in the summer, which I think has to be the best time to go.”

The Tolcarne Inn, Newlyn Harbour

“I’ve been to Tolcarne a couple of times and it’s excellent; the seafood is very fresh and all local. It’s a pub in the heart of the harbour. There’s a big fish market in Tolcarne, which is why I first went. It’s a very key town, and a lot of fish comes from here. It’s lovely also in summer with the flowers and the greenery but I always go in winter when it is quiet.”

Who comes here?

“This is a local favourite and excellent any time. It’ll be a bit quieter in the winter if you want to get away from the crowds, and it has a real old English pub feel to it, so if you don’t want Cornish holiday crowds, then go in the off-season.”

Best table in the house

“I like the table by the fire when I go.”

Dish to order

“This restaurant is nothing but fresh fish and local produce. You can’t get it wrong when you order, but the fish soup and seared scallops are very popular for good reason.”

Best time to come

“They have a fireplace inside the restaurant that I mentioned. It gets very cold in the winter but that is when I like to go.”

Argoe, Newlyn

“I have also visited this place many times. Argoe is the reason I use sardines from Newlyn in my restaurant. I had them there, and they were just incredible. Everyone says sardines are really easy, but they are very sensitive fish, and you have to know what to do with them.”

Who comes here?

“This was recommended to me first by local fishermen, and if they say it’s good, you know it’s going to be good. And it is very simple: if I buy fish from you, I’ll ask you where to eat it, too. Monica Galetti came last month to my restaurant and had sardines and she said it was the best dish; and it was Argoe that inspired me to use sardines in my sushi. She said it was the best dish she ever had with sardines anywhere.”

Best table in the house

“The seats next to the windows look right out onto the local fishing boats, so it would be nice if you could get one of those.”

Dish to order

“The restaurant has a big grill, so any fish cooked on it will be amazing, especially those sardines.”

Best time to come

“There is no bad time to go to Argoe.”

The Standard Inn, Portscatho

“This was, for me, really, really memorable food. This is also grill-based and it’s extremely comfortable and very welcoming inside. I keep mentioning fish, but my diet is very fish-based, and it’s what I have to eat if I’m in Cornwall. On my days off, I don’t eat fish because, if I eat fish, my brain starts to think about work: fish equals work for me, so if I want to relax, I eat only meat. But, if I’m at the seaside in Cornwall, I constantly eat fish because I’m so interested in how they catch it, how they cook it and how they use it.”

Who comes here

“This is also a mix of locals and tourists, but it has a very good reputation, so you’ll get a mixture of people – some who are staying and some who are food lovers and want their delicious fish.”

Best table in the house

“I don’t think there is a bad one. It’s very cosy and they have drinking tables as well as dining tables – I’m not sure there is any one best place to sit.”

Dish to order

“I think the mackerel here is excellent and they do “day boat fish” with delicious chicken butter sauce.”

Best time to come

“I went at lunchtime, and it was really excellent, but The Standard Inn has rooms that are wonderful, so I recommend staying there, too.”

Fish House Fistral, Newquay

“I only went to Fish House Fistral once, but it was great, and I remember it very well; it’s in an area of Cornwall that I really like.”

Who comes here?

“Paul Harwood [the owner and head chef] has a very good reputation, and has been around for a long time in Cornwall, so he attracts foodies, for sure. But Fistral is a big, big beach for surfers and the Fish House partners with a surf school so there are lots of surfers and swimmers and people coming in off the beach, too. It is very relaxed.”

Best table in the house

“There are some tables outside on the decking, almost on the sand. Of course, these are really popular and wonderful if you can get one when it’s warm enough to sit outside.”

Dish to order

“I had mussels and crab there, but I also loved the prawns in chilli and oil. It was really simple but really good. I used to live in Spain, and the prawns in the garlic and the oil remind me very much of Spain; it’s the same produce made with the same method of cooking, and it’s not overly complicated. This is all about using the best produce, and it’s a delicious dish to enjoy in the summer.”

Best time to come

“I think this is definitely a spring or summer spot, because of where it is.”