Meet the chef: Angelo Sato of Humble Chicken
Few were more deserving of a Michelin star than Angelo Sato – and, to his “relief”, this year he managed to bag one. We catch up with the Japanese chef
Anyone who knows Angelo Sato – or even just knows of him in culinary circles – might be surprised to learn that the fine dining chef from Japan, via Europe, only bagged his first Michelin star earlier this year. With one of the most decorated CVs in London – having sharpened his skills during stints at Tokyo’s three Michelin-starred RyuGin, New York’s three-star Eleven Madison Park, three-star Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, and two-star Restaurant Story (to name just a few) – it’s needless to say that Sato’s starry accolade was a long time coming.
While Sato describes his Michelin star as a “relief”, those around him will say it was evidently overdue. His flair for interesting flavours, roster of innovative dishes (think beef tartare, spicy miso and bone marrow, and mussels with kosho ponzu and avocado) and his steadfast commitment elevated culinary concepts easily make him one of the most exciting chefs in the UK – and his passion for food started long before he arrived in London. Born in Japan, Sato recalls helping his parents in the kitchen and spending his mornings at the local fish market, working for free so he could learn how to fillet fish. From there, he landed a job at the aforementioned RyuGin through sheer determination, perseverance and resilience – a thread, you’ll soon find, has defined Sato’s career.
At 17, he flew to London in search of more responsibility and a chance to bag his dream job: working in Restaurant Gordon Ramsay. Sato asked head chef Clare Smyth for a trial, she obliged, and the rest is history. Until, that is, he decided to break out on his own in 2021. His debut solo restaurant, Humble Chicken, a Soho-based izakaya, originally served a yakitori menu which utilised every part of the chicken, from the cartilage to the knee. The concept worked, but perhaps not as Sato hoped, so he shed Humble Chicken’s a la carte skin at the beginning of 2022, opting instead to exclusively serve tasting menus. A bold decision? Yes. One that’s paid off? Absolutely. That 2024 Michelin star is proof in itself.
So, why did Sato want to start his own restaurant in the first place? Why did he reinvent it in 2022? And what did earning that long-awaited Michelin star feel like? We find out.
My father used to make oden; a Japanese-style light braise. It was an all-day process, and the delicious aroma would fill the house throughout the day.
My culinary journey started when I was 14. I started working at a local Japanese restaurant in the fish markets at night and into early morning.
When you dedicate your whole life to something, you want to be the best! Fine dining has a culture of being the best from a standard, skill set, and discipline standpoint. But I see us striving to create a fine dining restaurant for the next generation, and I see that being more about the guests having fun, creating human connection moments, and being less stuffy.
I always had the ambition to work for Gordon Ramsay; that was my main goal. While Japan has the best food scene in the world, its working culture is very different to the London food scene.
I always wanted to open a restaurant independently, without investors owning my IP or dictating my actions. Without personal or family money and no assets, a loan was not an option. The only way forward was to take it step by step and grind it out slowly. Is the restaurant I have now the one I envisioned? No, it’s a long process. But we own it.
In 2022, I chose to elevate the concept to a tasting menu only and named it the Humble Chicken. The tasting menu is inspired by my Japanese and European roots, where everything is designed to provide a kitchen-theatre experience.
Honestly, it was a huge relief more than anything. I feel like I’ve invested my life pursuing this goal and went ‘all in’ so many times during the process. Last year, when I truly went ‘ALL IN,’ it was Michelin or bust, so I was incredibly relieved.
It feels good. We understand the responsibility and are very fortunate to be fully booked, something we don’t take for granted. We strive to earn it every day by being consistently relentless.
Trinity has always been my favourite restaurant; I have so many fond memories of the place and have a huge amount of respect for chef Adam Byatt.
I love Chetan Sharma’s food and restaurant Bibi. It is hands down a Michelin-star restaurant if I’ve seen one, but I didn’t get there until this year. To see them navigate that and continue to build momentum, I have a lot of respect for them.
All of them, sorry!
Visit humblechickenuk.com
