Carl Randall - commissioned to create paintings for Raffles at The OWO/Kioku by Endo

Daiwa Scholarship alumnus and artist Carl Randall was commissioned by The Creative Restaurant Group to make a series of paintings for Kioku by Endo – a high-end Japanese restaurant in Whitehall London, located on the top floor of the luxury hotel Raffles at The OWO (in between Downing Street and Trafalgar Square).

“Michelin-starred chef Endo Kazutoshi’s rooftop restaurant is set to become London’s premier Japanese dining destination.”

The brief Carl was given was to create paintings that respond to the restaurant’s environment, and to incorporate Japanese themes.

‘Kaiseki’ depicts chefs at work n the open kitchen, and ‘Sushi Chef’ features their head sushi chef at work; the backdrop of both featuring Byōbu (Japanese folding screens).

‘London/Yokohama Diptych’ brings together two cities relevant to the venue.

The founder of the restaurant, Michelin-starred chef Kazutoshi Endo, was born and brought up in Yokohama, whilst the London panel features landmarks that can be seen from the restaurant – The London Eye, BT Tower, Nelsons Column, Parliament, Westminster, Big Ben. Both cities have ferris wheels as famous landmarks and are depicted in the panels. They are further visually linked through use of traditional Japanese patterns.

“Kioku,” meaning “memory,” is designed to reflect founder Kazutoshi Endo’s life experiences, featuring 360-degree views in a rooftop setting. A third-generation sushi chef from Yokohama, Japan, he trained in Tokyo and Nagoya before working as a chef at the Japanese Embassy in Madrid. The Creative Restaurant Group own a number of other luxury Japanese restaurants in London, including Endo at the Rotunda, Sumi, Humo, Niju; as well newly opened Gize in Kobe Japan.