London, United Kingdom
From Michelin Guide
Cooking over fire often implies a freestyling ruggedness, but the clever and sophisticated techniques here demonstrate its limitless possibilities. No gas or electricity is used in the process; instead, every element of āfireā is considered, from the selection of different woods for different ingredients, to the choice of flame, smoke or embers as the primary source of heat. Japanese precision is married with superb British ingredients, whether crab, scallops or lamb. For a special treat, book Abajo, the chef's counter serving a tasting menu of Colombian dishes.
From Visitor Experiences
Wood & Fire Cooking Without Gas or Electricity
HUMO's kitchen operates exclusively with wood fire, using no gas or electricity at all. This includes cooking all dishes over a 4-meter-long open grill, creating a unique smoky flavor and theatrical presentation, such as chefs pulling embers to sear scallops or using a flambadou to spit molten fat onto skewers.
Menu Divided into Fire-Themed Sections
The menu is creatively structured into four sections named āigniteā, āsmokeā, āflameā, and āembersā, designed to showcase how different ingredients respond to various fire techniques. This thematic division enhances the dining experience by emphasizing the elemental nature of the cooking method.
Fusion of Japanese Precision and Colombian Roots
Chef Miller Prada combines the precision and influence of Japanese cuisine with his Colombian heritage, using prime British ingredients like Orkney scallops. This fusion results in highly original dishes that reflect diverse culinary traditions while being unified by the wood-fire technique.
From Visitor Experiences
The most honored or signature ingredients at the Michelin-starred restaurant Humo, London are:
Scallops (hand-dived from Orkney): Used in a signature dish grilled on a whisky barrel stave, served with Speyside sabayon and white konbu, showcasing a marriage of Japanese precision and British ingredients.
Cornish Brown Crab: Featured in a dish flamed with magnolia wood, paired with fermented amarilla plum and Yorkshire pearl barley, highlighting the wood-fired technique and local produce.
Cornish Lamb (aged 29-30 days): Served from the embers section of the menu, beautifully pink with beetroot sauce, castelfranco, and onion chutney, emphasizing the restaurantās mastery of fire and aging.
Native Scottish Lobster: Lightly seared with melted Kagoshima beef fat and paired with 24-month oak-aged Jura chardonnay and HUMO spice mix, combining theatrical presentation with refined flavors.
Vegetables such as Salsify and Cauliflower: Cooked with wood-fired techniques like grilling and ash-cooking, served with complementary elements like saffron, hazelnut emulsion, rokko miso foam, and nori, reflecting the restaurantās dedication to innovative vegetable dishes.
These ingredients are significant because they represent HUMOās philosophy of cooking exclusively over fire, using different woods and flames to enhance flavors, and blending Japanese technique with superb British produce.