PRECISION GOES JAPANESE AT DININGS SW3
Fish ageing with Japanese restaurant: Dinings SW3
Nestled in a mews off Walton Street in Knightsbridge, Dinings SW3 is renowned for its elegant and modern take on the Japanese Izayaka - a style of cooking combining authentic Japanese and European cuisines.
Executive Chef/Owner Masaki Sugisaki has developed a menu that is fuelled with innovative spirit offering a unique style of sushi and sashimi that changes with the seasons using only the freshest seafood from Cornish day boats.
Japanese cuisine is predominantly known for its famous dishes of sushi and the use of Wagyu beef; the Dinings SW3 incorporates this style of cooking with fresh fish and high grades of meats. Raymond Stepling, Head Chef at Dinings SW3 shares that they are “a Japanese restaurant with a lot of influence from European ingredients, marinations and methods of cooking so it is more friendly to all the clients” they have. This fusion allow Dinings clients to try traditional Japanese cuisine with a unique European twist.
Raymond says, “to make a kitchen work, it is pretty much like a Swiss watch.” He teamed up with Commercial Catering Contracts “to have all the components working perfectly” in the Dinings kitchen. With Dinings SW3 being the second restaurant of its kind to open in London with both dinner service and takeaway, the equipment had to be reliable. Raymond added that “the refrigeration (for us) is super important.”
The ingredients used in the Dinings requires them to be at the perfect temperature. Whilst the kitchen boasts a variety of refrigeration equipment, Raymond’s “most favourite one is the Precision dry age fridge which we use for meat and fish but particularly on the meat side because it can create different bacterias.” The meat ageing units’ temperature can be accurately set from +1°C and 4°C with humidity between 70-90%. Himalayan Rock Salt is supplied to enhance flavour, and to optimise humidity regulation. When Raymond spoke with Adam Doffman from Commercial Catering Contracts, “the Precision fridges and dry ager units were our best options for our purpose.” The meat ageing unit is supplied with three perforated, stainless steel shelves and a meat hanging rail; Raymond says they can fit “6-7 different types of joints of meat in there.” The stainless steel construction of the unit provides not just a hygienic solution, but a professional look that can used back or front of house as the perfect meat ageing and sales tool.
Precision were excited to learn that the dry ageing unit at the Dinings SW3 has been the home to a 7.5kg halibut which ages the fish and creates a beautiful flavour within their cooking. “The fish needs to be super clean and super dry or you’ll ruin the whole purpose of the dry age fridge,” explains Raymond. The fish must be cleaned thoroughly so as to not contaminate the fridge and to allow the good bacteria to age it. It’s wonderful to learn how chefs adapt our units for their needs.
As well as the meat ageing units, Raymond is also impressed with the Precision Blast Chiller/Freezers which features an intuitive digital control panel. The touch screen display makes it very easy to change between programs. “It’s an amazing option to quickly blast chill, blast freeze, and also [use as] freezer or fridge storage.” This unit can really do it all including a thawing mode for controlled defrosting of frozen food. If you’re limited on space, the Precision Blast Chiller/Freezers come in two different sizes; an undercounter or an upright.
“I would really recommend Precision fridges for all your purposes. In the restaurant industry, it’s going to make you from zero to ten within no time.”
