A new all-day restaurant concept, Subsūme, will open in Covent Garden this October.
The restaurant will bring European dining inspired by Japanese culinary techniques and hospitality to the heart of the West End.
The 70-cover restaurant will occupy a two-floor, 2,700 sq ft site in Sussex Mansions on Maiden Lane.
The opening will create 30 front- and back-of-house roles.
Subsūme is the debut concept from sibling founders Agastya and Varuna Singh.
It has been developed alongside concept director Ben Floyd, founder of Lumiere Consultancy, and creative agency 48.1.
The idea for Subsūme was born in spring 2025, when the founders travelled through Japan to understand what makes the country’s hospitality so distinctive.
The discovery that shaped the concept was not traditional Japanese cuisine, but European dishes reimagined by Japanese chefs.
Familiar dishes, delivered with precision, reverence for ingredients and depth of craft, felt entirely new to the founders.
Rather than creating another East-meets-West fusion concept, Subsūme has been shaped around the idea that Japanese values of provenance, simplicity and technique can elevate European cooking into something distinctive.
The journey also informed the restaurant’s hospitality philosophy.
In Japan, omotenashi is more than service. It is a cultural value centred on anticipating guests’ needs before they are expressed and giving generously without expectation of return.
That spirit of generosity will underpin the restaurant’s food, service and guest experience.
The all-day menu will weave Japanese ingredients and techniques into British, French and Italian cooking.
Breakfast dishes will include Miso Caramel Brioche French Toast, Japanese Omurice with sauté potatoes and sobrasada, and Japanese Fluffy Pancakes with maple butter and crispy pancetta.
Later in the day, dishes will include Crispy Pork Belly Kintsugi Bowl, Carpaccio di Manzo Tonnato, Kombu and Lemon Risotto, Grilled Ribeye on the Bone, and Kaufmann Fries with Nori Salt.
Desserts will include Caramel and Miso Tarte Tatin.
A curated drinks programme will feature European wines, Asahi beers and signature cocktails.
Cocktails will include the Yuzu Blossom, Umami Manhattan, Tokyo Mule, Shiso Mojito and Elderflower Spritz.
Direct sourcing and seasonality are central to the menu.
Meat will be supplied by HG Walter, seafood by Upstream Seafoods and vegetables by Nature’s Choice.
The restaurant’s bespoke coffee has been developed with Extract.
Designed as a warm, contemporary space, Subsūme will combine natural materials with subtle Japanese references.
The ground floor will feature floor-to-ceiling arched windows, timber-clad walls and forest-green accents.
At the centre of the space will be a green marble bar inspired by the Japanese art of kintsugi.
Downstairs will offer a more intimate atmosphere, with booth seating and a flexible private dining room.
Subsūme founders Agastya and Varuna Singh said: “At Subsūme, generosity is at the heart of everything – not something we add, but something present in how we cook, how we care for our team, and how every guest is welcomed.
“Nothing of value is wasted, and every detail, from our interiors to our tableware, draws on the Japanese philosophy of wabi-sabi – finding beauty in imperfection.
“Through European cooking shaped by Japanese technique, thoughtful sourcing and genuine care for every guest, we hope to create a restaurant people return to not just for the food, but for how it makes them feel.”
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