Healthy eating restaurants in London: Why Aki’s Japanese superfood menu is the ultimate January reset

Ask for a healthy restaurant in Central London, and you’ll usually be pointed toward a cold salad bar or a juice counter. But in January, when the grey sky presses down in London, a box of raw leaves isn’t nourishment, it’s plain punishment.

At Aki, we believe healthy eating shouldn’t mean compromising on warmth, depth, or technique. True wellness isn’t about what you remove from your plate. It is about the functional power of what you put on it.

This philosophy is the cornerstone of Head Chef Mamadou Sankare’s menu. For Mamadou, cooking is an act of meticulous preparation—or shitakoshirae—where discipline creates harmony. He doesn’t see “health food” as a separate category, but as the natural result of respecting ingredients. By merging the precision of Japanese technique with the “quiet echo” of our Mediterranean roots, he has created dishes that are medicinal in function but Michelin-level in craft. This is food that doesn’t just taste good; it makes you feel good.

Welcome to the new standard of the January reset: where farm-to-table sourcing meets Japanese precision, and superfoods are designed to be savoured—ideally alongside our new Dry January alcohol-free collection.

Beyond the salad bowl: the Japanese philosophy on healthy eating

The search for London’s healthiest restaurants often stops at calorie counts. But in Japan, the approach is broader, deeper, and centuries older. It is rooted in Ishoku Dogen, that states that medical treatment and food are of the same origin.

This ancient concept posits that your daily meals are your primary form of healthcare. It rejects the modern Western idea that “healthy” means “diet.” Instead, Ishoku Dogen emphasizes balance: the balance of five colors, five tastes, and five cooking methods. At Aki, we translate this philosophy for the London diner. We replace heavy creams and refined sugars with the complexity of fermentation, the mineral density of sea vegetables, and the clean protein of sustainable seafood.

For the busy executive in Marylebone, this is the difference between a lunch that leaves you sluggish and a lunch that leaves you sharp. It is high-performance fuel for the demanding London lifestyle, served in a setting of calm sophistication.

The “farm-to-table” edit: rare, healthy ingredients you won’t find elsewhere

Our January collection brings the farm-to-table philosophy to the Japanese kitchen—literally.

While many restaurants claim “freshness,” Aki has brought the farm inside the restaurant. Our commitment to sustainability includes eighty in-house modular farms. Using an advanced aquatic farming system that relies on recyclable coconut husk instead of soil or pesticides, we grow our own micro-herbs and garnishes meters from your table.

As Chef Mamadou explains, “Harvesting Japanese herbs or seaweed moments before service means the flavours are at their peak: brighter, more aromatic, and truer to their natural character.” This isn’t just a garnish, it’s living nutrition, harvested at the precise moment of service to ensure maximum enzyme activity and flavour intensity.

The green medicine: wasabina & shungiku

Most salads are 90% water. Ours are 90% nutrition. We focus on specific, potent greens that act as a natural multivitamin:

• Wasabina (spicy mustard greens): A jagged, fiery leaf that wakes up the palate. It is a powerhouse of Vitamin A, C, and K. The pungent kick comes from isothiocyanates—compounds linked to boosting metabolism and reducing inflammation.​
• Shungiku (chrysanthemum greens): A staple of Japanese winter dining, these aromatic leaves are incredibly rich in beta-carotene and minerals.​

You’ll find them in our Spinach salad, paired with farm-to-table turnips and a Hokkaido shiitake sesame dressing that adds rich umami without the heaviness of dairy.

The ocean’s pharmacy: wild seaweed & oily fish

Gut health is the cornerstone of immunity. Our Wild Seaweed & Sea Vegetable Salad isn’t a garnish; it’s a prebiotic feast. Sourced from cold, clean waters, these marine vegetables are packed with iodine and unique fibers that support a healthy microbiome.

We pair this with sashimi of oily fish—mackerel and salmon rich in Omega-3 fatty acids, essential for brain function and focus during the long workdays of January. And for a lighter protein, our Hand-picked Cornish Crab arrives with avocado and yuzu kosho—clean, lean, and sustainable.

Warmth for winter: why miso is the ultimate London comfort food

There is no better antidote to a British winter than a bowl of miso. But this is not the instant packet version. Our Miso soup is a living food.

Miso is fermented, meaning it is alive with probiotics that aid digestion and boost the immune system—critical during flu season. We serve ours with winter root vegetables and egg tofu, turning a side dish into a warming, grounding nutrient bomb. It is, quite simply, a hug in a bowl.​

Your new year’s clean eating resolution, plated

This year, don’t punish yourself with a detox. Fuel yourself with a strategy. Whether you are looking for healthy eating restaurants in London or simply a sanctuary from the cold, Aki offers a reset that feels like an indulgence.

Come for the superfood salad, stay for the art, and leave feeling lighter, sharper, and ready for 2026.