Hidden behind a curtain on Fitzroy Place, Chef Alex Craciun’s first solo spot turns globe-trotting ideas into a nine-course, produce-led tasting that keeps you guessing.
In a city brimming with lookalike tasting menus, Aces Foodcraft stands out above the rest. This is Chef Alex Craciun’s debut solo restaurant in London, and it arrives with confidence, clarity and a real sense of narrative. Each course plays with culture, technique and memory, crafting authentic stories out of each individual dish.
Craciun is best known for his time working with Jason Atherton, most notably as Head Chef at Sosharu in Clerkenwell. After nearly a decade cooking in destinations like Singapore and Marbella, he’s back in London with something more personal. Aces Foodcraft is named after his son, and the restaurant conveys a sense of purpose.
He runs it alongside his wife, Aleksandra Jazevica, Director of Primeur, the high-end costermonger supplying produce to many of London’s best restaurants. That partnership matters because the cooking is produce-led in the truest sense, with ingredients treated as the starting point rather than an afterthought, and the sourcing feels woven into the identity of the place.
Tucked away on Fitzroy Place, Aces Foodcraft maintains a sense of mystery and seclusion. Entry is discreet, hidden behind a heavy curtain. Inside, the room is warm and intimate, more like a stylish home than a showy dining room. Interiors are sleek and minimalist, with dark wood and eye-catching art carefully placed throughout the room.
We arrived on a rain-soaked evening and immediately felt the temperature change, both literally and atmospherically. Smiling faces, candlelit tables and a soundtrack that leans jazzy rather than hushed set the tone. Sitting at the counter gives you a front-row view of the kitchen, without the stiffness that sometimes comes with chef’s-table dining. There are no white tablecloths, no needless ceremony, and absolutely none of the snobbery.
The tasting menu costs £95 for nine courses, which feels like real value given the finesse and ambition on display. Craciun’s year in Japan at some of the country’s top restaurants clearly shaped his palate, but the influences here travel wider, moving confidently between Europe, Latin America and East Asia.
The drinks pairing, handled with charm rather than lectures, keeps things easy. A crisp Sauvignon Blanc starts the evening on a fresh, fruity note. A Gavi follows, described as “like receiving a hug”, floral and comforting alongside richer courses. The standout, though, is a bold Pinot Noir from the mountains of Romania, juicy and generous, and a fitting companion as the menu deepens. Even the water gets a little flourish, served with your choice of garnish: lemon, lime, blood orange or mint.
As for the food, Aces Foodcraft makes its point early. “French Man in Japan” arrives as a smoked milk soup with toasted almonds and wild salmon roe, paired with a vegetable and yuzu biscuit. It’s light, layered, and quietly clever, with flavours that genuinely evoke the title rather than relying on gimmicks.
Next, “A Chinese Man in France” turns interactive: a crisp, juicy prawn dumpling perched on a test-tube-style glass, filled with a vivid “mussels green juice” designed to sip alongside. It sounds odd on paper, but it works, delivering brightness, salinity and crunch in quick succession.
A clear highlight is Craciun’s Sosharu-era signature, “Temaco” (Mexican taco plus Japanese temaki). Crispy fried seaweed serves as the shell, filled with sticky sushi rice and topped with bluefin tuna, avocado, and wasabi. A squeeze bottle of sriracha mayo comes with it, and in this context, it feels like exactly the right kind of fun.
Not every course is designed to charm in the same way. The Italian chicken liver parfait is deeply decadent, edging into richness, though the soft, lightly toasted brioche helps balance the weight. Then comes “Japanese Man in the Basque Country”, a reinvented ramen built around mushroom noodles in a thick truffle sauce, finished with quail egg, seaweed and bamboo. It’s served in a bowl warmed by a candle beneath, comforting and theatrical in the best sense.
“The English Man in Edo” leans more classic: a beautiful plate of sushi featuring salmon belly, bluefin tuna and hiramasa, each bite showing Craciun’s precision and respect for Japanese technique.
But the dish that truly wins the table is the “Italian-Japanese Pasta Non Pasta”. Made with Japanese crosnes and a Delica pumpkin sauce that mimics the silkiness of a creamy pasta dish, it’s a masterclass in restraint and imagination. We’re told the kitchen receives only around a kilogram of crosnes a week, and the dish carries that sense of rarity without ever feeling precious.
Savoury courses close with roasted quail, truffle foie gras sauce and a rich sundried tomato ragù, lifted by lemon gel and bitter carrot. It’s beautifully presented, served inside a whole cabbage, and lands as a confident final statement before dessert.
We end our evening with aged persimmon, Fuji apple, vanilla, peanut parfait and sake jelly, topped with aerated yoghurt. Refreshing but still indulgent, it avoids the sugar overload that can dull the final course of a long tasting.
Aces Foodcraft is the kind of restaurant that reminds you why tasting menus can still be exciting. The flavours are bold but disciplined, the service is friendly and tuned-in, and the room makes you want to stay a little longer than planned.
GO: Visit www.acesfoodcraft.co.uk for more information.