Kintsu, Colchester, Essex: ‘Style as well as substance’ – restaurant review

The Guardian Food review by Grace Dent discusses Kintsu, a restaurant in Colchester, Essex, which was lauded for its 'thoughtful, clever cooking that errs on the side of tasty.' The restaurant, named after the Japanese art of kintsugi (repairing broken pottery with gold), aimed to offer a sophisticated dining experience in Britain's oldest recorded settlement, which gained city status in 2022. However, Kintsu abruptly closed its doors in May 2025 due to financial pressures, a detail that might have been missed amidst other events. The review highlights the restaurant's ambition to provide a 'fancy restaurant' experience, exemplified by dishes like duck liver mousse on lattice tuiles, suggesting a focus on refined presentation and ingredients.