Cool Japanese summer food to survive the heatwave at Aki in Marylebone
When London heats up, dinner calls for a different kind of order: chilled sashimi, crisp vegetables, bright herbs, citrus-led dressings and a dessert with sorbet at its centre.
At Aki, the menu offers plenty of ways to keep the table feeling fresh without compromising on flavour. Look for hand-picked Cornish crab with yuzu kosho, sea vegetables with black sesame yuzu, salads made with herbs and seasonal produce, delicate sashimi, Japanese pickles and vibrant notes of satsuma, sudachi and yuzu.
Recently listed in the Michelin Guide, Aki brings a contemporary Japanese approach to dining in Marylebone. This is not a separate summer menu; it is a guide to the lighter, brighter dishes already on the menu when a heavy meal is not the mood.
Aki’s heatwave-proof menu
Japanese summer food made for warm London days
Begin with a fresh seafood dish or a vibrant salad, move through chilled sashimi and choose a warm course with citrus, herbs or cucumber. Finish with a dessert built around fruit and sorbet.
- For a light start: Choose from seafood dishes such as hand-picked Cornish crab, or begin with edamame and Japanese small plates.
- For freshness and crunch: Explore salads made with sea vegetables, Japanese herbs, watercress, nashi pear, myoga and citrus-led dressings.
- For chilled seafood: Choose sashimi or nigiri, served with fresh root wasabi and 30-year-aged sashimi soya.
- For a warmer course: Look for robata dishes balanced with yuzu, ginger, Japanese herbs, pickles or cucumber.
- For a fresh finish: Choose desserts with satsuma, yuzu, sour cherry, shiso or sorbet.
How to best enjoy Japanese summer food at Aki
A lighter Japanese meal is often built through contrast. Chilled fish is lifted by fresh wasabi; crisp vegetables meet citrus and sesame; nashi pear brings sweetness to peppery herbs; and a warm robata dish is balanced with ginger, cucumber or yuzu dashi.
Rather than ordering one large, rich course each, let the table move through a selection of smaller dishes. Begin with seafood, vegetables or salads, add sashimi or nigiri, then choose one warm dish to share before finishing with something fruit-led. This is Japanese summer food at its most natural: light, layered, and driven by what is freshest rather than what is richest.
Fresh starts
Seafood, salads and Japanese herbs
For the start of the meal, explore Aki’s seafood and vegetable dishes. Cornish crab is paired with avocado and yuzu kosho, while the menu’s salads layer Japanese herbs, sea vegetables, watercress, turnips, nashi pear, myoga, sesame and citrus-led dressings.
These dishes bring freshness and texture to the table before sashimi, maki or robata cooking enters the order.
Chilled and bright
Sashimi, nigiri and maki
For a hot day, sashimi is the most direct route to a lighter Japanese dinner. Aki serves its sashimi with fresh root wasabi and 30-year-aged sashimi soya, allowing the character of the fish to remain at the centre.
Choose delicate white fish such as seabream or sea bass, lean blue fin tuna akami, or a sashimi omakase platter for the table. Maki rolls with Japanese pickles, shiso, cucumber, takuan or yuzu furikake continue the fresh, textural direction.
Six refreshing dishes for a cool Japanese dinner
These six dishes are selected from across Aki’s current menu for their balance of chilled seafood, crisp texture, Japanese herbs, citrus, cucumber and sorbet. They are not a fixed menu; think of them as a starting point for a lighter summer table.
To start
Hand-Picked Cornish Crab
£14
Avocado, yuzu kosho, rice cracker
Start with sweet Cornish crab, avocado and yuzu kosho for a clean, bright opening. The citrus-led warmth of yuzu kosho and the crisp rice cracker make it a natural choice when you want a lighter first dish.
Small dish
Wild Seaweed & Sea Vegetable Salad
£12
Black sesame yuzu, myoga
Sea vegetables, yuzu and myoga make this one of the menu’s most refreshing small dishes. It is saline, aromatic and bright, with black sesame adding a savoury base beneath the citrus.
Salad
Mixed Herb & Watercress Salad
£17
Compressed nashi pear, crispy shiso, wasabi dashi dressing
This is the menu’s crispest salad choice. Peppery watercress, compressed nashi pear and crispy shiso create contrast, while the wasabi dashi dressing keeps the finish sharp and savoury.
Sashimi
Sea Bass
£10
Three pieces, with fresh root wasabi and 30-year-aged sashimi soya
Delicate and clean in flavour, sea bass is a refined choice for a warm day. Order it after a salad or sea vegetable dish, allowing the chilled fish and fresh wasabi to take centre stage.
Robata vegetables
Tender Stem Broccoli
£8
Satsuma yuzu wafu dressing, wasabi furikake
A warm dish that still keeps the table feeling light. Satsuma yuzu wafu dressing provides a bright citrus note, while wasabi furikake brings savoury depth and a gentle lift.
Dessert
Raindrops
£11.50
Shisho-infused mizu shingen mochi, yogurt ganache, matcha soil, satsuma and matcha sorbet
Raindrops is the clearest heatwave finish on the menu. Shisho-infused mizu shingen mochi has a delicate, water-like texture, while satsuma and matcha sorbet give the dessert a cool, citrus-led close.
Why sashimi is the centre of Japanese summer food
When the evening calls for something less substantial, let sashimi shape the meal. Begin with one of Aki’s salads or sea vegetable dishes, then order a selection of fish to share. Fresh root wasabi and 30-year-aged sashimi soya are served with every sashimi order.
Seabream and sea bass offer delicate white-fish choices, while Portuguese wild blue fin tuna akami is the leaner tuna cut. For groups, the sashimi omakase platter allows the kitchen to guide the selection, with nine, 15 or 21 pieces available.
For more on Aki’s fish, sashimi selection and omakase platter, read Aki’s guide to sashimi in London.
“We had the Aki Signature Menu and every dish was like a heaven you could eat!!”
Ways to enjoy our refreshing Japanese menu
A lighter Japanese order suits different moments in the city: a pause after Regent Street shopping, a composed meal before the curtain rises, a long evening that continues below ground at Kiyori, or a private lunch beneath the open sky. Begin with fresh seafood, salads or sashimi, then shape the rest of the meal around your plans.
After Regent Street
A light lunch after shopping
After a morning around Regent Street, Oxford Circus, Liberty or Selfridges, make the short walk to Cavendish Square for a lunch that feels fresh rather than heavy. Start with a seaweed or herb-led salad, add Cornish crab or sashimi, and keep the table moving with a few smaller dishes rather than one substantial course.
Aki is a quieter place to reset after the crowds, whether you are stopping between shops or making lunch part of a longer day in central London. Discover Aki, a Japanese restaurant near Regent Street.
Before the curtain rises
A cool pre-theatre stop
For a pre-theatre dinner, build an order around dishes that are easy to share and satisfying without feeling overdone: a fresh starter, a salad, sashimi or nigiri, followed by one warm dish from the robata if time allows. It is a composed alternative to a rushed meal in Theatreland.
Aki is well placed for an evening around the West End, including the London Palladium and Wigmore Hall. Explore pre- and post-theatre dining at Aki or read about dinner near Wigmore Hall.
After dark
Let dinner continue at Kiyori
A warm evening does not have to end with the last plate. Begin upstairs with chilled sashimi, bright salads and Japanese dishes shaped by yuzu, ginger, herbs and cucumber, then continue the night downstairs at Kiyori.
Set in Aki’s former bank vault, Kiyori offers a more intimate after-dark setting for cocktails, conversation and a slower finish to the evening. Discover Kiyori Bar.
Private summer dining
Lunch or dinner beneath the Atrium roof
For private celebrations, working lunches and summer gatherings, Aki’s Atrium offers a distinctive setting beneath a retractable glass roof. The space brings daylight, air and a sense of occasion to a private Japanese dining experience in the centre of Marylebone.
Plan a menu around fresh seafood, salads, sushi and robata dishes, with the format shaped around your group and occasion. Explore private hire at Aki’s Atrium.
Summer dining in Marylebone
Chilled sashimi, vibrant salads and Japanese food for warm London days.
Join us at Aki for fresh seafood, Japanese herbs, bright citrus and a lighter way to explore contemporary Japanese cooking.
A cooler way to order Japanese food at Aki
When the temperature rises, build the table around freshness: crab with yuzu kosho, sea vegetables with myoga, salads with nashi pear and shiso, chilled sashimi with fresh wasabi, and a warm dish balanced by ginger, cucumber, yuzu or Japanese herbs.
Begin with something crisp or seafood-led, share sashimi or nigiri, add one warm robata dish for the table and leave enough time to settle into the evening. Aki is a short walk from Oxford Circus, Bond Street, Regent Street, the London Palladium and Wigmore Hall, making it an easy choice for a shopping lunch, pre-theatre dinner or unhurried evening in Marylebone.
Aki is a contemporary Japanese restaurant at 1 Cavendish Square, Marylebone, London W1G 0LA, a short walk from Oxford Circus and Bond Street. Open Thursday to Saturday from 12pm to 2am, and Sunday to Wednesday from 12pm to 11pm. Dinner is served daily from 5:30pm, with last orders at 10pm. Advance booking is recommended — reserve your table at Aki online.
Reserve your table
A lighter Japanese dinner, from chilled sashimi to citrus-led robata dishes.
Join us at Aki in Marylebone for fresh seafood, Japanese herbs, bright citrus and a relaxed summer table at Cavendish Square.
Frequently asked questions about our Japanese summer menu
What to eat in a heatwave at Aki London
What should I eat at Aki when it is hot outside?
For a lighter order, choose seafood, salads, sashimi and dishes with yuzu, Japanese herbs, ginger, cucumber or pickles. Aki’s heatwave guide highlights Hand-Picked Cornish Crab, Wild Seaweed & Sea Vegetable Salad, Mixed Herb & Watercress Salad, Sea Bass sashimi, Tender Stem Broccoli and Raindrops — all examples of Japanese summer food built around freshness rather than richness.
Does Aki have a dedicated summer menu?
Aki does not currently offer a separate fixed summer menu. Instead, the restaurant’s core menu naturally includes many dishes that align with the principles of Japanese summer food: chilled sashimi, sea vegetable salads, citrus-led dressings, and desserts built around fruit and sorbet. This guide highlights those lighter, brighter dishes already available to order.
What sashimi should I order for a lighter meal?
Seabream and sea bass are delicate white-fish options ideal for Japanese summer food, while Portuguese wild blue fin tuna akami is the lean tuna choice. All sashimi is served with fresh root wasabi and 30-year-aged sashimi soya. For groups, the sashimi omakase platter (available in nine, 15 or 21 pieces) allows the kitchen to guide the selection based on the day’s best fish.
What are Aki’s most refreshing dishes for summer?
For the best Japanese summer food on Aki’s menu, look for Cornish crab with yuzu kosho (£14), sea vegetables with black sesame yuzu and myoga (£12), salads with herbs and nashi pear (£17), chilled sashimi, Tender Stem Broccoli with satsuma yuzu wafu dressing (£8), and desserts with satsuma, yuzu or sorbet. These dishes prioritise freshness, texture and citrus over richness.
Which dessert should I choose on a hot day?
Raindrops (£11.50) is the lightest option, with shisho-infused mizu shingen mochi, yogurt ganache, matcha soil, and satsuma and matcha sorbet. Roasted Soy Parfait is another fresh choice, served with sour cherry and yuzu sorbet. Both are excellent examples of how Japanese summer food handles dessert: fruit-led, cool, and never heavy.
Is Aki listed in the Michelin Guide?
Yes. Aki is listed in the Michelin Guide as a contemporary Japanese restaurant in Marylebone, recognised for its Kyoto-influenced approach and refined Japanese summer food.
Is Aki near Oxford Circus?
Yes. Aki is at 1 Cavendish Square, Marylebone, London W1G 0LA, within easy reach of Oxford Circus and Bond Street stations — both a two-minute walk away. It is also close to Regent Street, the London Palladium, and Wigmore Hall, making it a convenient choice for Japanese summer food before or after a West End show.
Do I need to book a table at Aki?
Advance booking is recommended, particularly for evenings, weekends, celebrations and larger groups. Summer weekends fill quickly, especially for pre-theatre and post-shopping tables. Book your table at Aki online.
Can Aki accommodate dietary requirements?
Yes. Please share dietary requirements when booking so that the team can confirm available options before your visit. Aki’s kitchen creates thoughtful plant-based dishes — including several of the salads and vegetable-led plates featured in this Japanese summer food guide — with the same precision as the rest of the menu.
