This winter new restaurant, M, will become the first restaurant in Europe to serve grade 10++ Kobe beef. Opening its doors next month, M will serve up both Japanese Kobe beef and Australian Blackmore Wagyu beef.
Situated on the iconic Threadneedle Street, M will be the first solo project from steak expert Martin Williams, who left his role as MD of Gaucho Restaurants earlier this year after almost a decade with the company, to establish his own restaurant group. Located in a 15,000 square foot space, ‘M’ will house two 100-cover restaurants, a wine tasting bar, a destination cocktail bar, private dining rooms, event spaces and a secret den.
Martin left Gaucho Group with fourteen restaurants in the UK and one restaurant in Dubai in March, and created many brand building events including the ‘Gaucho International Polo’ the world’s most popular indoor Polo International, and the ‘Argentine Winemaker’s Awards’. For M he has assembled an impressive team around him, with other notable appointments including restaurant director Francesco Cappucci (formerly of Corinthia Hotel and Cecconi’s), award-winning interiors expert, René Dekker, and staff uniforms deigned by Nelson Mandela’s favourite designer, Bunmi Olaye.
The quality of the Kobe beef that M will serve is so high that it doesn’t even fit on the normal beef grading chart. Kobe beef comes from the Tajima cattle which are born and raised in Kobe City. Calves are raised to maturity in a stress-free, relaxing environment and fed with selected rice plants, corn and purified water. A feature of Kobe beef is its melt-in-the-mouth texture and a rich, luxurious taste derived from an abundance of fat and oleic acids, which result in a beautiful pattern of fat termed shimofuri, or marbling. It’s only sold after inspection and grading for attributes such as meat color, texture and marbling. The highest grade of Kobe beef can be awarded is 12 and the Black Breed Kobe served at M will be Grade 10++, with most restaurants only offering up to Grade 6++ of this type of beef..
David Blackmore monitors every stage of the animals life, from conception to plate, with care and accuracy to ensure a consistent and quality product. This sets them apart from most other Wagyu brands, as they breed, feed and market all of their own animals. M will be the first restaurant in Europe to serve Blackmore Wagyu beef, with the unrivalled Sirloin grade 9++ going on the menu. It has previously been used by Michelin-starred chefs such as Heston Blumenthal at his Australian Fat Duck Restaurant, Thomas Keller at the celebrated French Laundry and Per Se and Neil Perry of the Australian Rock Pool Group.
