Nizuni’s official web portal has the title track to the film Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence (Senjō no Merī Kurisumasu), running in its background. In my opinion, it is Ryuchi Sakamoto’s best sheet of music, he has possibly ever laid down on paper. Beautiful, epic, elegant and heartbreaking. Ryuchi went on to write more cinemagic backing music to more epic films such as The Last Emperor; though I think his best work was for Brian De Palma’s (The undisputed King of the Erotic Thriller) Femme Fatale, starring Rebecca Romijn. Fucking great film, to the tune of a heartbreakingly beautiful soundscape. And Ms Romijn.

A restaurant owner with such fine taste in music, is an indication that they know how to navigate the path to success in the complicated business of hospitality. And indeed she does, one Linda Lee is also proprietor of the legendary (Barney Stinson style) Korean chillspot, Koba, which is but a stone’s throw from Nizuni’s location in Charlotte Street.

All signs point to a Japanese menu awash with inspirations from other worldly cuisines. Unsurprisingly, the Korean factor has made its mark on some dishes on this menu – many of which will likely please the constant grazing sharers amongst us. However, most pleasing of all is probably the paperwood cafe ambiance, taken in concert with the laid back, karaoke bar waitressing, made for a relaxing spot to catch some sushi and r and r.

Now that the weather is looking more like Spring, I’ve been prowling the streets by myself with my Leica film camera with increasing frequency, and stopping for the inevitable solo lunch. And so Nizuni on this occasion was captured on Fuji Provia, slide film. I was being served by a waitress completely mesmerised by the craft and the vintage camera (My Leica was made in 1992 (I think)). “Show me the photo you just took!” she said. I showed her the back of the camera, and to her gasping surprise, it was a dial to select the film speed, and not an LCD screen.

The wonders of vintage technology.

The Dragon Roll, £9.00.

Inventively stuffed makisushi (roll sushi) isn’t really all that hot in this town, especially in light of the super serious sushi purveyors such as Yashin and Shiori, that practice more nigiri-art than plump rolled sushi.

In Nizuni however, the Makizushi are premium stuffed rice rolls, with meat and fish both on top and on the inside. The Dragon Roll almost always refers to the crust of flamed eel on the outside, representing the scaly back of a mythical dragon, snaking around a sushi roll, with crab, avocado and cucumber stuffed in the centre.

Nizuni’s rendition of the Dragon Roll is admirable, it’s fresh tasting, filling, and satisfying. It reminds me of Kappa sushi in Earls Court, also a purveyor of the premium makisushi, incidentally run by a Korean chef, and – in my opinion – home to the best seared beef rolls in London. Google my review.

Butterfish tataki, £7.90.

Oh man, these were bloody amazing. The already silkened textures of butterfish were further mellowed with a blowtorch, giving the charred surface, a charred smokiness on the palette. Very pleasing. Shiso cress, daikon cress, a proprietary spicy sauce and a dash of balsamic dressing gave the flavours, a zing, a zest and a bite. I was so glad I didn’t have to share this with another soul. I gobbled up joyously.

Tori Tori, £6.90.

At this point, I noted how tremendously huge the portions were. Indeed, this wasn’t just another Japanese restaurant, where things are usually small.

Deep-fried nuggets of glorious chicken, smothered with a sort of lemon honey sauce, that was quickly solidifying into an amber hued sugared coating. Of course, this required a bowl of glutinous rice to go with as well, but it was much too much for one man to eat all this food, so I had this wrapped for take-away.

Salmon nigiri, £1.90 each, Tamago nigiri, £1.60.

The sushi menu is largely solid and prices are largely competitive, and while the selection includes many of the usual suspects, you won’t find anything out of the ordinary, that you won’t find in any mid-level and capable sushi bar in London.

Yeah nice salmon. And nice eggs.

I lost the bill, but I think I paid about £35 for this lunch. I like this restaurant, I think there’s alot more to be explored on the menu, especially the cooked food, and I think that it’s a restaurant whose potential is best realised when you have a group of 4-6 involved. The atmosphere is casual, the staff are unrelentingly likeable and the food is delicious. Much cheaper than Roka across the street, and something to consider the next time you’re hunting for Japanese-led fusion food.

The Gist of It

Nizuni
Japanese/Korean, £40pp
22 Charlotte Street W1T 2NB
Tel: 020 7580 7447
Tube: Tottenham Court Road

More photos on my flickr page.

Ryuchi: ES, TO, TCL, LT

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How many sushi bars do you know, play bossa nova in the background? Out of that lot, how many deliver to your doorstep? And just how many sushi bars boasts an all-female run operation? Assuredly, sushi bars that satisfy all the above are rare, and rather rhetorically (and by way of an introduction), Sushi Cafelicious is a first for many things. Primarily, Cafelicious does take-away and also delivers. Based in Golders Green, the outpost is also quite spacious, it has a bar counter which can cater to roughly 12 guests, if you so choose to eat in that is. This sushi take-away is relatively new, opening its doors in September this year, it is a spin-off from a well-regarded (though admittedly, I’ve not been) sushi restaurant (Also in North London) called Cafe Japan.

Naturally, Guy & co were the firsts to cover it, and that’s where I first heard of it, and while the outpost is a little far, it certainly carries enough USPs to intrigue the average sushi hunter. Allow me to elaborate.

The emphasis on the all-female led kitchen is significant, especially the role of the Itamae, usually a male dominated role, Cafelicious is looked after by a female sushi chef, Miho. She who was on point during my visit to oversee her beloved cafe. Gregarious personality. The emphasis is strong because, you could easily be mistaken to have walked into a snog, what with the excessive pink, but it does blow refreshing air across conventional sushi counters. I felt pink and happy and – strangely – clean, during this visit.

Like many of the new sushi bars that have opened this year (2010), Cafelicious offerings up the ante on the creative front but the bottom line is kept well in check. Seriously, how many sushi bars do you know of with starting sushi prices at 30p?

Yes, you read that correctly, the cheapest nigiri starts at 30 pence..!

Cafelicious is also the only other place that I know of which offers Temari sushi, or Ball sushi , which is basically nigiri formed into the shape of rice balls. Yes baby, they are photogenic.

8 temari sushi, £7.10.

You better believe it. 8 pieces of fabulously crafted temari sushi for under a tenner. What’s that I hear you utter… £60 at Yashin? Pretty ain’t it?

First of all, let’s get the obvious out of the way; Cafelicious isn’t punching in the same category as the likes of Yashin or Shiori, who make your sushi to order, and garnish with glitz and technical artistry, Cafelicious is a quick fix, budget offering, competing against the likes of Yoshino, Yo! and Wasabi. In that regard, I think it is flying way, way above the radar. This is the B-2 stealth bomber of the sushi take-away world. Kaboom.

The temari selection is intriguing. This is what I ordered, from bottom up:

Sweet prawn garnished with wasabi and fish roe, 80p.
Scallop marinated with Tosa Soy sauce , garnished with squid ink seasoned fish roe, £1.20.
Salmon & Avocado, marinated with Tosa Soy Sauce, £1.20.
Egg & ginger, 80p.
Brown mushroom garnished with Garlic Cream Sauce and Parsley, 80p.
Tuna with spicy rice (AWESOME) £1.20.
Miso Marinated Mozzarella, 80p.
Takuan (yellow pickled radish) and Yama Gobo (Burdock), 30p.

Apologies for making you read a list, but the point I’m trying to make is that this is a enormously creative set of flavour combos, for something that costs so little money! Do a double take on the pricing…crazy cheap no??

The sushi is pre-prepared and were plucked from the refrigerated glass counter they were stored in. So understandably, the rice was a little cold, and flavours were a little numb. However, I did order it for delivery the next day, and when the sushi warmed up a little, the rice does soften to something a bit more appreciable.

The temari selection felt rather like purchasing a box of luxury chocolates, or even a box of luxury macarons, in the way I hand picked the ones I wanted, and they have been meticulously packaged too. It lends a fun factor to the overall experience. Yeah, bring out the 12 year old giggly school girl why don’t we.

Most importantly, the combos were thrilling. Tuna, with a sancho pepper spiced rice got the endorphins sparking, gorgeous chopped brown mushrooms with a hint of garlic, like a pate on a rice ball. The beautifully sculpted marinated scallop with fish roe dipped in squid ink, mimicking the look of pricier caviar – I would have easily partly with more money to eat this sushi. Notice how I haven’t mentioned soya sauce, and like Yashin, the sushi comes pre-marinated to the teeth, so you eat them without dipping, supposedly, this cuts down on the sodium intake.

Are the alarm bells going off in your head going off yet? Yes. These would be a perfect alternative for the lunch hour if you happen to be needing some ideas for a corporate lunch.

And like the way you would pluck a perfect Pierre Herme macaron from the box, I felt the same about this selection.

And it was £7..!!

Seconds, £5.50.

With the quality being so high, and the prices being so low, I went for more.

Aburi Seared Salmon, £1.20.
The Italian, mozzarella & dried tomato, rice mixed with basil sauce, 80p.
Squid & Plum sauce with Sushi rice seasoned with Yukari (Japanese basil), 80p.
Eel, garnished with Black Sesame Seeds, 80p.
Salmon marinated with Tosa Soy sauce, 80p

Seared and chopped salmon, giving it a smooth texture, that was just fabulous. I could still taste the flames from the torching – like a flaming salmon and cream cheese pate. The Italian was hugely enjoyable, it was much like a reverse arancini, sun-dried tomato and pesto flavoured, like a ball of risotto, very appetizing. I loved the eel, chopped, mixed in with the rice, it was a cutesy amuse-rendition of a classic una-don. About the only thing I didn’t enjoy was the Squid and plum sauce, the plum sauce was screeching a little too sharp for my ‘buds, but for you lovers of zesty things, you’d find it refreshing.

Soft Shell Crab, Rocket, Cucumber, Takuan (yellow pickled radish), Yama Gobo (burdock), Okura, Egg, Yuzu, Fish roe, White sesame. £1.50.

I also tried their giant maki rolls, £9 for a full one, and £1.50 for a slice. Note the high degree of brilliant vegetarian friendly ingredients stuffed into the roll sushi. Playing to the strengths of the health-factor associated with sushi, Cafelicious makes a bold effort to enforce it in its recipes. And it is one of the few places in town, which is vegetarian friendly, without compromising on umami.

Sushi Cake, £1.50 per slice.

Another of its USP is this savoury sushi cake. £10 for a whole one, measuring roughly 8in in diameter, or £1.50 per slice. Made with brown rice, Shiitake mushroom, Bamboo shoot, Carrot, Deep-fried bean curd and topped with a cakey omelette. It’s a pretty substantial portion for £1.50, and I think it helped round out the meal nicely, if a little gimmicky.

All in all, I paid about £16 for this lunch, what awesome value. The following day, I called for delivery. They delivery to 9pm Tue-Sun, but you need to call before 5pm – the delivery arrived on time at the requested time (7pm), just in time for X factor results, and they even threw in a 20% discount voucher.

I think Sushi Cafelicious is a wonderful addition to North London, and for take away sushi, this is top-end stuff. Imaginative, thought going into its packaging, making this a very saleable end product, at a desirable bottomline.

I am usually the ardent carnivore, but I think this is one place that will keep vegetarians happy as well. Healthy and delicious, two of sushi’s greatest strengths. As a business, I think Cafelicious has caught on to an intriguing model, which I am hoping can be successful, because I really like this place. As a catering option – which I think is where it should be aiming – targeting the corporate and party planning demograph, I think it is a unique alternative. If you happen to be managing the lunch budget for the next big meeting, this is something to consider. For a light finger food lunch, it works out to roughly £8 per head – that’s how much two tepid corporate sandwiches cost. Party platters start at £25 for groups of 5-7..! Check out the aggressive prices.

…and I would be excited if our secretary orders a platter of temari for the next meeting, no more tuna and cucumber on brown bread, please…

A dedicated chef supported by a hard working team, turning out quality sushi, as you’d expect from a Japanese operation really. Although, this one has an element of fun attached, there is definitely enthusiasm in the atmosphere and it translates to the creativity of the food. I really like the fact that it is so far removed from the seriousness of this genre of Japanese cuisine. Such a refreshing change, kudos to Chef Miho.

Free deliveries to NW2, NW3, NW4, NW6, NW8, NW9, NW11, N2, N3, N6, N12, W1, W2, W3 if you spend £15 or over. Well? 020 8381 4704. Call.

The Gist.

Sushi Cafelicious
Sushi Cafe & Takeaway & Delivery, £10pp (I’M SERIOUS)
2 North End Road NW11 7PH
Tel : 020 8381 4704
Underground : Golders Green

For more photos, have a look at my flickr set.

Take it away: London-eating ; Kei Kukuchi for Time Out London ; Daily Candy

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I write this shuffling in my seat, on a flight bound for Norwegian airspace, and it isn’t often that I dream about London and its murky skies, but here I am, fantasizing about the startlingly magnificent lunch I experienced last weekend at Yashin, the latest addition to the London sushi scene. My god, was it exciting. Great sushi, and oh my gosh, did it burn an excitable hole in my already stick thin wallet. We go West.

It’s been two months since my move from Kensington, a part of town rarely known for sushi, and when it comes to restaurants on High St Kensington, choices narrow considerably; It is largely between a spacious Wagamama or the prospect of a tepidly overpriced burrito from Wholefoods. But things are set to change. Yashin is the latest debutant in this year’s hugely impressive armada of ‘serious’ restaurant openings. The concept is that of a upmarket sushi bar with all the accompanying glitz and pretension (and chill out background noise). Think of it, as Nobu alumni, ripping out the sushi bar with their escape from the mother restaurant, and the result is a sushi bar that is dedicated on forming the best by hand. Cooked dishes are kept to its bare minimum. If the small scale operation sounds familiar, it should as we’ve been dazzled before with the hugely romantic sushi bar run by a husband & wife team, otherwise bookmarked by yours truly as Sushi of Shiori (also of alumni from an equally starred Japanese restaurant).

Its respective owners boast pedigree and sushi credentials, namely Yasuhiro Mineno was Executive Chef at Ubon (of Nobu Group) in Canary Wharf for 7 years (which has shut, but was never really that good anyway) and Shinya Ikeda, who spent 5 years as a senior Chef at Yumi (which if I’m honest, I’ve never heard of).

You might ask if all this fluff which I’m making you read is at all relevant. But then you already know that I only do this when I think a restaurant is flippin’ fabulous. The writings (quite literally) on the wall suggest a radical experience – without soy sauce – of the idealistic intent of creating fanciful nigiri that merges the elegance of this stick and dip delicacy with a contemporary infusion of ‘fine dining’ elements in an effort to enhance the umami qualities so as to warp the senses. While soy sauce is not initially available to dip the sushi, it is only because the chef has worked elements of flavour directly on to the nigiri. Hyperbolic psycho-babble, you say? I blame the Norwegian time zone. Bear with me, the photographs are colourful.

The Yashin sake taster, two 50ml vials, £8.

We start with Dewazakura Muroko Namagensyu – a Junmai ginjo which has fantastic body and a hugely vivacious, biting flavour to it. It was as fragrant as a Sakura on a crisp September morning. It could not be matched with the underpowered and rather mellow Tedorigawa Gobyakumangoku – a Daiginjo. For eight quid, it was great fun (and perhaps good perceived value), with no expense spared in the visuals department. If a little impractical, as lifting the vials from the glass of dyed water became a bit of a nuisance what with the water dripping all over me.

“The Omakase”

You’ll notice I’ve not spoken about the menu as yet, but that’s only because you needn’t bother with choice. The highlight of Yashin, is their omakase, or the Chef’s menu, which allows the chef to channel his fine talent. Like Shiori, it is available by price points, starting at £30 for 8 pieces of nigiri plus a roll; £45 for 11 piece ensemble plus a roll and finally the complete waterworks and the kitchen sink, eponymously titled, ‘The Yashin’. 15 pieces of – and I quote – exquisite sushi, painstakingly crafted for you, in front of your eyes, by the chef-owners.

But first, we started with a bevy of freebies to grease the tract.

Miso soup, in a tea cup?

Note the careful attention to detail and branding. The chopsticks are not the snap it off disposable kind; these feel sturdy and wooden, about as as unbearably unbreakable as an on-key Wagner. Mmm… a comforting start.

Next, a salad spiked with a citrus-like dressing and garlic chips.

Crunchy, fresh – but a mere distraction…. where’s my raw fish dammit!

Here in London, we lack the likes of dedicated sushi bars such as Urusawa in LA (see Foodsnob and GT), where part of the charm – integral to the sushi experience – is the opportunity to watch the experienced Itamae personally putting together your plate of food. I have always seen this visual aspect of observing flair in action as part of the relatively high cost of sushi. Otherwise, if its just quality fish you’re after, any of the Atari-yas would do for a quick fix. Like a chef’s table at a GRH outlet, you pay the premium, but you also get to watch the head honcho ply their trade, first hand.

As you can imagine, this can turn out to be a rather mesmerising show and tell, especially with the diner being so close to the action. Here’s the first of my Yashin sushi platters being finished by the Itamae.

Feast with your eyes on Plate Uno.

Isn’t it just pretty? In addition to blow-torching (not all) , each nigiri was finished with something extra, either brushed with soy sauce, sprinklings of sea salt, and eye catching garnishing such as a radiantly crystalline orange ponzu jelly. I’ll be honest, I didn’t stop to take notes, when it landed, I led with my tongue.

Let’s get the obvious out of the way first – the rice was fluff heaven, a neutral to sweet tickle on the palate, it was technically superb, warmish, cooler than body temperature, managing a sticky consistency enough to hold together, but soft enough to melt the moment you bite into it.

Fish on the whole was top of the line. If you are a frequent flyer with the Nobus, the Rokas (these are good) and Zuma (and to a certain extent Sake no Hana), then you’ll be more than impressed with the sheer quality of produce. Lively, oily, crisp and odourless. Though excellent sourcing alone is not Yashin’s major selling point. It’s the finesse by which the Itamae has chosen to garnish his creations. Dinings have their ponzu-truffle wagyu sushi, Shiori boasts a in-house made truffle paste with their scallop; At Yashin, there are flavours of flames, piercing sea salt, the smell of – dare I say – bonito flakes, pepper and spice and the twang of a wicked ponzu jelly. To sum it up, sushi at Yashin is vibrant and it is current. Of the lot, I enjoyed the ponzu spiked salmon, the flamed otoro and the peppery wagyu the most.

Plate two.

On the second plate, sweet scallop, torced razor clam and a fabulous fleshy botan prawn, also torched and rubbed with a foie gras paste that gave it alot of firepower in the flavour department.

This is just a superb showcase, a mastery of absolute elegance that epitomises contemporary sushi. Beautiful, sexy, distinctive, efficient, healthy (relatively), utterly delicious.

Salmon Lunch set, £12.50.

Oh and in case you wondered, we also tried the budget route with the salmon set, 5 pieces of the excellent salmon nigiri, a salmon roll, plus miso in a tea cup and garlic chipped salad. Yeah great value.

Shiso Sorbet, £4.90.

To finish, the shiso sorbet with a texture analogous to a kitchen sponge and a sweet touch of minty fragrance. A nice way to wipe the palate clean.

I paid £97.20 for lunch for 2… which is of course a considerable expense. Not the most filling lunch (we gorged a 16in take away pizza for dins), but my gosh, it was brilliant. I think there’s a small army of fans already amassing on twitter, especially Gourmet Traveller who pointed me to this direction! Amazingly fabulous. If you love sushi, this is something you must try. I suggest dinner rather than lunch, as they have an expanded menu – in addition to the omakase – that allows you to compliment the meal with garnished oysters, selection of sashimi, handmade tofu, rolls and assorted carpaccio. Early indications suggest the oysters, the tofu and the carparccio are also mind shattering.

Now then, the burning question: Which is better? Hmmm… I think considering the sheer brilliance of the final product, the glitzy atmosphere, the showmanship, I might have to say Yashin. But only by a hair. Sushi of Shiori still holds its own, and for one, the missus prefers the more mature venue. It is just more personal, its concept is more romantic and the omakase is much more varied, plus you get more bang for the buck. That’s my one reservation about Yashin, its pricing competes on the level of the glitterati of Japanese restaurants instead of independent sushi bars. In that regard, if people are going to be paying top dollar, I wonder if diners might just choose to stay with the stars. With Shiori, its decent pricing was always part of its appeal. Having said that, you do get what you pay for at Yashin, and the sushi really is something special.

For the moment, the crowds have not crashed the party as yet, so if you’re looking for a sushi fix this week, I urge you to book a table now. This will make it to one of my drool-all-over-it list before the year is over. I highly recommend it.

In the end, I am just glad that London now boasts two exceptional sushi bars which deliver unique sushi in their own special way. Both are more than a cut above the old school Izakaya-types. With Sushi Hiro well and truly absorbed into the Atari-ya bubble, I feel this year is the changing of the guard, London sushi has now come of age.

The Gist.

Yashin Sushi
Sushi, £70pp
1A Argyll Road, off High St Ken W8 7DB
Tel 02079381536
Underground : High Street Kensington

For more photos, have a look at my flickr set.

We love Sushi: Mr Foodie, The Skinny Bib and GT … for now.

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I’ve always thought about upgrading (or downgrading depending on where you stand) the photography on this blog to film-based rather than digital, but after visiting 300 or so restaurants with the Nikon D700, it’s hard to it put. Digital is just so, easy you know, snap and pap, quick and (relatively) unobtrusive, and one can mess around with the image in the computer to one heart’s content. But you know film has that distinctive look, the cinematic signature, the big screen gloss which you are probably familiar with, everytime you visit the cinema.

So it was the last sunny Friday in September, and I decided to take my FM2n and two rolls of Kodak Portra. Roughly 72 exposures, fully manual, completely mechanical (that means no battery required) and made in 1983. Yes, as old as me. As per usual, I was in the acquiescent company of my partner in crime, Marcus Aurelius, imported from China.

I am indebted to the exuberant Jennifer Joyce, who told me about this neat little gem. Amongst my many personal projects, I’ve been helping the intrepid food writer with her digital real estate…. Which is nearing completion, so I will show it you folks soon enough.

Tosa is a well-regarded yakitori specialist, based in Hammersmith (or Stamford Brook I should say), and a secondary outpost in East Finchley. Yeah I know, the most obvious competitor is Bincho in Soho (formerly Oxo Tower) whom are the other practitioners of smoking birds over charcoal. The difference is perhaps Bincho’s minimum 2 skewers per order rule which thankfully it doesn’t apply in Tosa.

I wanted to present a holistic angle on the menu (an excuse for being a fat bastard) so opted to try abit of everything. The menu is arranged by style of cooking (Grilled, fried, raw, etc) and are all to-share plates, no main courses.

Sushi & sashimi

Raw turbot muscle sashimi, £8.

Yes, I was intrigued by the description as well. This particular species swim in British waters, and if I’m to be frank, it’s not a looker, even amongst fish. Easily identified, as it is large and flat, usually brown or sometimes slate grey, and fetches really hefty prices (the fishmonger at Queen’s Park’s Sunday market don’t sell ‘em cheap). Studying the pattern of the sashimi, I wondered if the ‘muscle’ Tosa refer to, are the fins which line the periphery of the fish. Biology aside, the texture was interesting to say the least, rubbery and a little oily (if memory serves) , the fish is quite mild in flavour, so it was easy to eat. Lively stuff.

Unagi Nigiri, £2.20 each.

‘Course, I don’t expect great sushi at Tosa, but I thought it was mostly above average, the rice was abit clammy, but it had good vinegary flavours, and the unagi if abit cold, was of a good quality.

Tosa roll, the chef’s special, £4.60

If it’s good enough to be the chef’s special, I best order it. The maki was stuffed with avocado and cucumber and shiso and wrapped with thin slices of raw salmon. The result was something cleansing, fragrant and fresh. I enjoyed it.

Deep fried oyster maki, £6.

Finally, some deep fried oysters, onion and cucumber rolled into an outside maki. Yeah not bad.

From the grill

Asparamaki, £2.20 each.

The first of the skwers, grilled asparagus & pork belly. The first impressions were that it was it was juicier and smokier and just generally, better cooked than Bincho, where I found the kushiyaki to be pretty horrendous.

Uzura, £1.60

More good news, in the form of mini quail eggs infused with smoke from the charcoal grill. Speaking of which, the decor is basic at best, the bar table which overlooks the robata is tiny, and the tables in the windowless backroom, is seriously devoid of oxygen, and just drab. If we’re still locked in comparison, I would say Bincho wins hands down for atmosphere. Food-wise, Tosa is in the lead.

Torikawa, £1.90

Ah, Yakitori time. This is the crispy chicken skin, which were actually more like sizzling fat globules than actually straight up grilled skin. Abit of fat is nice, but this might be a tad too much. In this instance, Bincho’s chicken skin wins on that basis that it’s leaner and meaner.

Shisomaki (the round ones), £2.30 each and Yakitori, £1.70 each.

The round ones are the shisomaki, that’s shiso leaves and pork loin, and they are really amazing. Smoky grilled pork – dripping, wet and juicy – with a touch of fragrance from the shiso, beautiful stuff.

As for the yakitori, which is plain grilled chicken (I think it was thigh), it was juicy, well-seasoned and smothered in a lovely soy based sauce that carried a hint of sweet to it. Better than Bincho.

The shiso and pork loin skewer up close.

Feeling a little indulgent with the film camera, I thought these were great. The skewer, I mean.

Sakekama, £5.50.

Salmon cheek, grilled with salt, grated radish and served with wedge of lemon. Probably the best of the lot, and like the rest of the grilled stuff, it was heavily seasoned, oily and juicy and oozed smoky perfection. Massive portions too, as good as grilled salmon can get.

So… how’s the film photography so far? More natural colours?

The bill came to £57.08, so we paid £28 each, which includes the price of two glasses of Calpico. Excellent value for money and beautiful food all round. In fact it was so agreeable, I went back a week later for dinner, taking my colleague with me, who agreed with the goodness of the skewers. We also opted for sake, served on in a cedar box (like Bincho) and which came with a pinch of salt. Interesting. By the way, Tosa offers 15% discount vouchers as a promotion on their website, something you will no doubt take advantage of when you visit. I suspect that Tosa (like Bincho) is perfect for solo dining, quiet school nights, and for those who simply want to watch the man turn skewers on his grill, except that Toas are better at the meat flipping. Shame they don’t do chicken oysters however, but you can get really good ones at Bincho. Aside from that, I heartily recommend the trek out West.

My Bincho review for comparison sake.

The Gist of It

Tosa
Japanese, £25pp
332 King Street, Hammersmith, W6 0RR.
Tel: 020 8748 0002
Tube: Stamford Brook

Grilled : Time Out London , Randomness Guide to London ; Will Eat for Money

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I swear, this is the last time I’m posting photos from a meal at Shiori…. so good…. So I believe I’ve tried everything on the Shiori menu now (not the tonkatsu or kaarage) , this set of photos are from my 3rd visit, and I’ve been four times.

The canape sushi at £23 deserves your attention, however if you are spoilt by choice, then the omakase is a good place to start with Shiori. I’ve had their omakase (the chef’s choice menu) at £30, £40 and £50, and have found the £40 to be happy median.

Having said that, the £50 omakase was pure decadence. I’m mentioning prices, because that’s what you need to decide when you call to book, and you’ll need to because the sushi bar can only accomodate nine people at any one time.

I wrote two exhaustive reviews which cover more details, if you want to know more : First review ; Second review.

This blog post is just photos of the seven courses you get from a £50 omakase.

Needless to say, I love Sushi of Shiori.

Course 1: Abalone, enoki and spinach

You can tell that the £50 menu is serious, when they serve luxury seafood as an appetizer. Ponzu zestiness, soya sauce, refreshing stuff.

Course 2: Okra soup

This was REALLY interesting. Chopped up okra, served cold, with all the slimy, gooey goodness of ladyfingers, juiced! Very unique mouthfeel, almost like drinking raw egg whites, but with crunchy bits, in a good way. For flavour, it was like essence of chicken.

Course 3: Fish roe, Yellowtail, white potato.

Oh.. I immediately thought of Roka when this came. Beautifully presented, and another exercise in the interplay of textures. Oily chopped fish was excellent, the little flavour balloons of fish roe were awesome, hear them popping in your mouth, abit of herby edge with the chopped spring onion added to the mix. Just fantastic.

Course 4: Sashimi platter

Seared chutoro topped with fresh wasabi, oh my god, so good it melts… with some charred flavour lingering. Scallop stuffed with a ‘surprise’, which turned out to be an orange coloured, grainy paste, sweetish, crab-roe like, made from sea urchin. Who knew scallop and sea urchin would make such a great combo. Squid stuffed with seaweed. Finally, fermented seabass sashimi which had been pressed between seaweed overnight, which I suppose harks back to the beginning days of sushi or narezushi (going back centuries here) when it was fermented. I was surprised how good this was. The seabass was golden hued, the texture matured, zero chewiness, as if muscles, sinews had been relaxed and broken down, analogous to dry-aged beef, I suppose.

Course 5: Sushi Platter

Seabass maki, pickled and sugary; Unagi Bo-zushi with abit of pepper, beancurd nigiri and a grilled pepper nigiri; Selection of fish nigiri including a sweet prawn with shiso leaf pesto, aji, salmon belly and tuna.

Course six: Two Wagyu Sushi per person..!

The pièce de résistance. Both were blow-torched, so crispy flamed exterior, and inside it was blood red. Both have a melting ponzu jelly scooped over it. Additionally, one has a kind of herby radish thing over it, the other stings like jalopeno. Amazing… but Dinings’ Wagyu sushi might just beat this by a hair.

Course seven: Home-made Ice cream.

Since winter is coming up, they are offering chestnut ice cream, which I think is excellent. I particularly enjoy the black sesame as well.

I can’t wait to go back to Sushi of Shiori again. And again. Again. If you’re in London, and you need a sushi bingeing partner, I’m there. Hit me up.

I wrote two exhaustive reviews which cover more details, if you want to know more : First review ; Second review.

Sushi of Shiori
Japanese, £45pp
144 Drummond Street, Off Hamstead Road, NW1 2PA
Tel: 020 7388 9962
Tube: Warren Street

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Sushi bingeing. The final frontier. The unquestionably orgasmic delight of popping dollop after dollop of a food of an unrelentingly elegant design; low in fat, high in umami, arguably, an invention born of perfection. Some say the combination of raw fish and rice is an acquired taste, but for the converted, sushi is nothing but the zenith of simple, unadulterated pleasure. The unmistakable taste of vinegar, the glutinous rice, the texture of silken sliced fish, one could crave sushi, as easily as a hamburger.

The history of sushi reaches as far back as 8th century Japan. The name – literally for ‘its sour’ – references its early iteration of preserving fish using fermented rice called Nare-zushi. It was not until the 19th century that the modern form of Nigirizushi – sliced fish on a parcel of rice – was popularised in Tokyo, as a form of fast food sold from mobile food stalls. The method of preservation differs from today, where traditional methods equated to fermenting fish with soya sauce, salt or vinegar. It would quickly change with the invention of the mighty refrigerator.

These days, I refrain from using the word ‘fresh’ to define well-prepared and well-selected sashimi grade fish because we know that sashimi grade fish implies that it is pre-frozen (mainly to kill nasties) to -20C either at source or in-house by the restaurant. Although freezing is merely a small step in a long chain of activities from boat to plate, to ensure ‘the highest grade’ of sashimi for the end customer. To make purely uneducated guesses, I would suppose location, method (eg: long-lining) and the experience of a successful fisherman all count toward ensuring the best catch.

Let’s take tuna as an example being that otoro or tuna belly is most prized in the sushi world. There are a plethora of strategies to consider. For example, there is the issue of preserving the carcass once fish is caught and killed, such as bleeding it rapidly to storing just above freezing (to slow the decaying process). And then there is also the skill of the middlemen, be it a sushi chef or a fish monger to cherry pick from the daily catch.

There is also a key element in the sushi equation, and that is the all-important rice. You can identify good sushi rice almost straight away: creamy, puffy, viscous, it threatens to melt, but it holds firm with you seize it with the chopsticks, it carries the warmth of a human touch, it stings ever so slightly with a touch of rice vinegar, it smells like a fragrant sakura. Even so, rice differs depending on what style of sushi it is. For nigiri, the hand-formed stuff is noticeably softer, warmer and organic, whereas temarizushi, or ball sushi, is densely packed, prepared by compressing the ball of rice under cling film lending to a more impenetrable texture.

The gold standard is Koshihikari which means the ‘Light of Koshi’, and it is a type of rice originally grown in Nigatta Japan, but has American variants which also carry the premium reputation. The rolls-royce of sushi rice as far as I am concerned, and is unique for it has just the right balance of attributes to qualify as sushi rice; it bounces, sticks, is milky, and because of this, it is naturally a lot pricier than lesser grains.

I have been frequenting Japanese restaurants for the past few months in order to put this newsletter together, some places are just my old haunts, others are new discoveries for me, but generally speaking, the list consists of the more rationally priced Japanese restaurants in town. I have not considered the glitterati such as Nobu, Zuma, Umu and Sake no Hana in this issue. Even though there are a few more on my little hit list I would have like to have included in the round-up, my self-imposed time limit prevented me from doing so.. I wish to follow-up this issue with more visits, whenever I get there in the next few weeks. Maybe by issue No.8.

Without further ado, here are my London sushi finds…

Sushi of Shiori

If you go to one sushi restaurant this year, or are a sushi virgin, then please, please pay a visit to this modest little shop in Warren Street. It is manned, operated and maintained by Husband Takashi Takagi, Wife Hitomi and occassionally a third helping hand, but that’s about it. The restaurant lots like half a takeaway shop, can only accomodate nine people at most, but the experience is one of the most dazzling, accomplished and ever inspiring in the London sushi scene. Takagi doesn’t just cook for his diners, he puts on a show for his audience. Watching him create his meticulous inventions, layer upon layer, slice upon slice, is like watching an artist at work on his masterpiece. He has brought the best of his time in Umu with him to his labour of love. Fish is supplied from Atari-ya so quality is ensured, and you have to pre-book your menu before hand. I recommend the £50 Omakase (which is the chef’s menu) which goes on for about six to seven courses encompassing his entire repertoire. The omakase starts at £30, but the differences are in quality of ingredients (better as you spend more) rather than in quantity. Also, the temarizushi or canape sushi as it is called is also worth a try at £25. Shiori stands for bookmark and this is sushi deserved of it. After 3 visits, it is solidly my favourite sushi restaurant in the city. Read visit 1 and visit 2.

Atari-Ya

Atari-Ya is important, if not instrumental to the sushi trade in London. The name is synonymous with quality sushi fish. Their primary business is as fishmongers, they import sashimi grade (read: frozen) fish, and they supply the likes of Nobu, Umu and probably half the restaurants on this list. They also operate a chain of sushi bars dotted across London, and they serve their prized premium stock at said locations. Needless to say, if you are not fussed about preparation and finesse, and want affordable, quick, take-away sushi of the higest available quality, you need to hit Atari-ya, however, be mindful of the price differentials. The Bond Street one is the most expensive, followed by the Swiss Cottage and finally the Golders Green branch.

Using the price of full fat tuna belly (otoro) as a guide, it varies from £3.00 per nigiri to £2.30. If you want sheer value, the Golders Green branch is it; However it a pretty tiny sushi bar inside what is a pretty small Japanese grocery shop, hence the cheapness. It’s perfect for takeaway really, I once bought 158g of Otoro for about a tenner, that’s £6.50/100g. They also sell Japanese grown Koshihikari (5kg / £37.50) and American ones (significantly cheaper) for those interested. If you need something with a more atmosphere and resembling a restaurant, the Swiss Cottage branch is your best bet. There is also another, the soon-to-be unveiled location in Ealing Common, the former site of the (defunct) mighty Sushi Hiro…. Read more here.

Kikuchi

Beautiful work here, ebbs toward the traditional stuff with the atmosphere of something old, woody and Seventies. Deftly cut and neatly presented sushi, great fluffiness in the rice, and the quality of the seafood is generally excellent. It is a tad pricy for my liking, but they do offer £5 vouchers when you spend more than £50, but don’t order the ‘market price’ otoro nigiri. They charged me a ball-ripping £8 for one piece, and it didn’t taste any better than Atari-ya. It’s raw afterall. Do order the unagi, the exterior has a thinly crispy layer that tastes of flames, perhaps from the Itamae’s blowtorch. Accomplished stuff altogether. Read more

Dinings

Chef Chiba, formerly of Nobu, owns this lovely little outfit in Edgware Road. Adored by many for its baby-Nobu style of cooking encompassing a range of ‘Japanese inspired tapas’ dishes along with Western-infused sushi recipes. Honestly, I found contention with some of his Nobu-esque creations, some are simply bad copies of the original, done at half the price with seemingly half the effort. However, the good news is that Chiba’s signature dishes are brilliantly conceived, especially the Wagyu Sushi with Truffle Salsa and Ponzu Jelly. The zesty, truffle flavoured, buttery beefiness is the perfect marriage in many more ways than one. Costs about £4 each, I would order ten of these, it is seriously good enough to warrant such a binge. No I haven’t yet, but yes I do plan to. Booking is essential for it has a cult-like following. Read more.

Asakusa & Sakura

Asakusa is in Camden, Sakura is off Regent Street. Both – in my opinion – fall into the same category of the everyman, well-cooked, comfortable Japanese food. Both feature an Izakaya-esque atmosphere and menu, albeit Asukasa is a little well-worn, and Sakura has ruder waiters; Food wise, both are equal and nearly as good at delivering affordable, classic Japanese fare. I really enjoyed the Tori Karaage and the Umaki Tamago (Omelette with unagi folded in) in Asakusa; On the other hand, the Oyako-don (£6.50) at Sakura is probably best in class for its portion-price ratio. Sushi-wise, both are good enough, if you do not stray from salmon or tamago, you’ll like both. If you arrive for dinner at Sakura, I recommend the spicy sashimi salad (£5) which is made with fish normally discarded from and not useable when preparing sashimi and sushi. They are usually very generous with the raw fish, fish roe, seaweed and the spicy ponzu based drizzle is excellent. Represents fabulous value.

Read Asakusa review & Sakura review.

Kappa

Ahem, Kappa is my local, a nice little hideaway in this corner of West London. The chef (Korean) is ex-Zuma, and like many of his contemporaries who exited famous Japanese kitchens, serves his own signature sushi at his restaurant. In this case, the Kappa ‘house special’ roll (£8.90) is an oversized maki roll stuffed with avocado, cucumber, raw beef and their secret spicy creamy sauce. On the outside of the roll are slices of blow-torched beef (I think fillet) smothered with more of the superb zesty creamy spicy sauce and spring onion. Like the Wagyu roll in Dinings, this I could order five rolls of, and binge on. Tastebud-blow. I’ve done it before, as I use Kappa as a ‘motivator’ to go running after work. The quality of sushi is generally excellent at Kappa, the rice is notable, and the otoro exhibits the buttery melt-in-your-mouth intensity. Read more.

Roka & Bincho

We are veering off the track with Roka and Bincho now, the former features a robata grill and the latter is a yakitori. Roka is the litter sister to Zuma, so you can imagine the imaginatively creative sushi rolls are of the highest order of umami at Roka, but being that it is so upmarket, expect to fork out the shillings for the pleasure. Butterfish sashimi with ponzu-infused drizzle, chopped tuna roll with battered nori and chopped otoro with caviar – all very slick and very accomplished. The robata grilled meat and veges are generally spectacular, especially the spiced lamb cutlets. Ommph…and it had better be at the asking price.

On the other hand, if you are feeling skint, lonely and want a quiet meal, all the while watching the chefs turn meat on skewers in front of you, I highly recommend Bincho. Skewers start at £1.50 each and you can have all parts of the bird to be cooked. Chicken oysters, chicken skin, unagi are the ones I recommend. Sake is served in masu, a square cedar box which is meant to subtly impart abit of its woody elegance into the drink as it sits on your table. No sushi at Bincho however.

Read Roka review and Bincho review.

Mitsukoshi & Matsuri

The former is the namesake restaurant belonging to a premier name in the Japanese department store business and is located in the basement of the operations in Piccadilly Circus. Matsuri on the other hand, is a premier brand in the world of Japanese dining and is known for its Teppanyaki. Both represent – in my view – the old guard of premier Japanese restaurant in London and because of that, it means your bill is likely to balloon if you want a complete experience at either restaurant. Stil worth a mention, I believe, but it’s way, way down the list of priorities. Read more

Koya

Finally, London’s preeminent sanuki udon specialist, freshly made (by foot) daily on premises with super dashi made from imported katsuo-arabushi (Fermented and dried Japanese skipjack tuna), souda-bushi (another type of smoked and dried fish) and iriko (dried anchovy). No sushi here either, but worth the mention. We need more of these specialist noodle shops in London. Slurp your noodles with Echigo beer (£8.50 for a large bottle) made with using Koshihikari. Read more.

Anything Else

Unfortunately, I couldn’t visit all the places I wanted to make a more complete list, but as I said, I’ll follow up with another edition in the coming months. For the time being, this gives me the opportunity to link out to sushi-otaku brethren on the interwebs.

Bellaphon on Chisou
Meemalee on Sakana Tei
Gourmet Traveller on Sushi tour in London
Time Out London’s best Sushi Bars

….. but what about to Sushi Hiro …?

Well, don’t tell anyone you read it here, but the word is Sushi Hiro’s chef/owner has retired, returned to his homeland and sold the business to Atari-Ya. End of an era I feel, but all the more reason to revisit Shiori.

Further resources

Just a quick selection of articles, blogposts which I’ve used to help me write this post. Worth a quick flick if you want to delve further into the wonderful world of sushi.

Sushi Glossary
Tsukiji Fish Market
Sushi FAQ : What is sushi grade fish?
SPC guidelines for preparing tuna on-board for to be sashimi-grade
NY Times article on freezing fish in sushi restaurants
Koshihikari Rice – The ultimate sushi rice

Issue no.6.

It’s a tricky one, I’m planning to plunge into an Italian theme for the next issue, as the capital’s Italian restaurants emerge from their summer slumber, but it depends on how deep my pockets go, and at the moment, my arms are a little too long for my appetite. I will try in any case … see you here again in (roughly) 30 days.

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A firm, yet genteel voice answered the phone. The line was horribly muffled as I struggled to pick out the vowels through the low, low bass. Fum.Fum.Sa.Sa. I think she said, in a deceptively Japanese accent. An awkward silence befell.

“Aka …ka…” I said.

“ZZZassss… ka” she said, with a quickened pace.

I gave up. And simply assumed it was indeed Asakusa I had got through to. This was the third call in as many weeks as I’d been trying to visit this rather popular Japanese restaurant in Camden. They only do dinner Monday to Saturday, no lunch is ever served at this Izakaya-like eatery. I asked if I could get a table for two in two hours, on a Thursday night.

“Yes. See you Mr Kang…” click… didn’t even ask for my number.

As I arrived on scene, the better half and I barely squeezed into the musky, rather well-worn and grimy interior. It looked like it was gonna come down like a house of cards any time now. The restaurant was full, with a couple of reserved empty tables, which we walked past. Not everyone were Japanese expats, I observed. Past the front room of decrepit carpeting, and past the sushi counter, we were directed downstairs to the basement, but not before negotiating a creaky wooden staircase, gingerly, I measure my steps, any heavier and my foot might go through it.

The smell… what is that? Bleach? Detergent? We march toward the end of the dungeon, lit by cube-shaped lamps, plastered walls, music courtesy of an eighties style stereo with a CD player, and a black box TV. Switched off. Could be a Sony. Could also be made in Japan. Maybe JVC. Maybe the staff do karaoke during breaks. Why is it off?

The menu is divided by cooking style, indiscriminate in terms of portion size, and very much in the vein of an Izakaya. There’s almost too much to choose from, but I instinctually pointed to a short measure of cold Junmai, while the other half reached for biru. We managed to cull a selection of our favourite comfort dishes to graze on and to share.

We braced for a heartwarming meal.

Asakusa Salad £7.90.

A large plate. There are slices of raw salmon, and what looks like raw yellowtail or mackerel in the salad. Walnuts, seaweed and lettuce give the dish a slimy, nutty flavour. Copious amounts of a gummy sweet and salty miso sauce was poured over the dish. Initially the rush of concentrated saltiness was appealing, but alas, it quickly became too decadent, too sharp and difficult to stomach, it was like tipping bottle after bottel of honey into the system, and there was only so much one could take before too much became too much.

Tori Kaarage, £4.90.

I waited for my bowl of steamed rice before I tucked in. Even fried chicken need recipes, and one was superb. Well seasoned, it had a fragrance, like oyster sauce, or mushrooms, or something full of umami chemicals. Fried to a crunchy puff, whilst the chicken maintains its juicy bounce. What utter heartiness. I sank my head into my bowl of rice.

Umaki Tamago, £5.30.

Even better were the eggs, mirin sweet, with slithers of unagi folded into the omelette. A potent teriyaki-like sauce was poured over it. It was brilliant, the marriage of fishy eel with a custard-like egg and lots of rice. I sank my head further into the bowl.

Chicken Skin Skewer

Chicken heart skewers

Next came the Yakitori, skin and hearts, but rather tepidly flat. It lacked the character of being smoked over binchō-tan , and both were a little dry and a tad overcooked.

Ox tongue skewer.

Similarly, the tongue failed to lift the senses, it was tough, rubbery, overcooked, bovine but boring

Grilled baby squid ‘legs’.

Aside from the visual splendour, a little arresting at first, the squid was a yawn, underseasoned, dry and overcooked. Not even a squidge of lemon could save these tentacles.

Mixed tempura udon.

And the initially promise and hype had quickly fizzled out by the time the bowl of noodles were brought to us. Good tempura, but a forgettable stock and uninspired, tired udon (Sanuki I believe), I blocked out the smell of bleach, but it was knocking on the back of my back.

A la Carte Sushi, about a tenner, I think.

The last hurrah was an obligatory plate of nigiri. I ordered salmon, tamago, scallop, unagi and sea bream. A spike of wasabi nestled between fish and rice, I noted the beauty of the filleted salmon, of how it cuddled the dollop of rice it came it – the mark of a skilled Itamae. Oh, the fish is good, it disperses like a whiff of cold air, on my tongue. The rice – the all important rice – melty, sticky, slightly warm, but it tasted too mild. Even with my enthusiastic oversoaking in the soya sauce (fish face first), I just couldn’t taste the bite of vinegar.

We paid £54.99…. for all that food and booze? Not too shabby at all, and cheap by the usual measures of Japanese food in the capital. All the while, we were very well looked after by the sweetest Japanese waitress we’ve ever met. She deserves some kind of reward. Gold star. In the end, I felt ambivalent about Asakusa, the better half felt worse, she vowed never to return to this restaurant again. Despite the reservations, I think Asakusa has a homey feel about it, food feels like it had been prepared by a kitchen run by an army of housewives, imbuing every dish with a dollop of love as it flies out of the kitchen. Not that it is a bad thing, because I can see how some would fall for these kind of neighbourly restaurants. But for me Asakusa felt complacent, if honest, and that torrid decor is not particularly enticing. The bottomline however, was that food was only just passable. You know, I used to love going to Sakura (ruder, cleaner and central) and I think Asakusa falls in the same genre of affordable, simple, well-cooked, comforting Japanese food, but with a trump card: Perhaps the best Oyakodon, £6.50 can buy in London. And it’s available for lunch.

The Gist of It

Asakusa
£25pp Japanese, Dinner only.
265 Eversholt Street NW1 1BA
Tube: Mornington Crescent
Tel: (020) 7388 8533

Where the wind blows: Chris Pople ; TimeOut London ; Culinary Hags ; Cooking and Dining ; Delightful Eggtarts.

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Twenty quid doesn’t go too far in London, maybe two courses. Three if it’s a michelin-on-a-budget. On the otherhand, the Taiwanese have perfected the art of amazingly affordable fine dining on half a shoe string. Back in February, I was over in Taipei for my annual visit to see how my favourite cat (seriously) was doing. He turns ten this year, and time has made a roadmap of his furry belly. Taiwanese people very proudly boast about their excellent sushi, which is generally claimed that it is so good, that Japanese tourists cross over to the Beautiful Island to sample the Taiwanese rendition of their cuisine.

I can’t say I disagree. Even their middle-of-the-road sushi trains (the ‘real’ Yo! Sushi so to speak) will defeat anything from Kikuchi or even Shiori, or dare I say it, Sushi Hiro (pre-2010). Naturally I was intrigued with what a high nose establishment could turn out, and was recommended to try one of the Mitsui restaurants aka, the big boys. Supposedly, a favourite meeting place for politicians, celebrity and generally people who wield power and money, unafraid to swing one like Tiger.

Annoyingly however, it has a notorious reputation for snotty service, especially since I left my Zegna back in London. Hot weather you see. Pomposity aside, the restaurant looks the part obviously, we sat at the spot-lit sushi bar and were stuck with a waitress more interested in chatting with her colleague, than taking our order. Irritating. I interrupt their conversation as much as I could. Dammit woman, I just want the otoro, the chutoro and the otoro. The majority of their seafood (and their tuna) are sourced from Taiwan’s East Harbour apparently.

Naturally I went ala carte with the nigiri, that set me back £40, but the missus was a winner with her seven course, £20 set lunch. That’s it, £20.

Course 1: Sashimi Platter

You better believe it. Beautifully cut and presented, salmon, tuna, scallop, mackerel and a whole sweet prawn. Sweet.

Course 2: Crab Salad

Sweetcorn, apple, the dish had a faint whiff of rose water as well. This was bloody amazing. The crab itself, mineral, zingy and naturally salty. I was green with envy.

Course 3: Rib eye Steak.

The steak was peppery, I think it was a Prime USDA (they love that stuff in Taiwan), the glowing charcoal was still smoking the beef on the table, still sizzling away softly. Beautifully medium rare, not much in terms of bovine beefiness, but who cares. Look at the crusty exterior.

Course 4: Steamed fish.

Oh my gosh..! This was the real cracker… superbly steamed, gently silky, such delicate texture, I kept thinking, cream, cream and more cream. The broth was buttery, and the fish was stuffed with a variety of crunchy and chewy vegetables, broccoli perhaps, I forget. Just excellently steamed fish.

Course 5: Grilled tiger prawn.

Look at that monstrosity. It must have been grilled over charcoal, because I could taste the smoke, seasoned with rock salt… the better half showed her quality by offering this to me. And so, I broke it in half, and sucked it dry.

Course 6: Soup

Just soup right? But check out the presentation.

Voila!

Course 7: Red bean soup

A comforting finish, baffling being served with kiwi, didn’t think the creaminess of red bean paired with the kiwi, but whatever.

Hands down the best £20 meal I’d ever witnessed.

Meanwhile… I had…

Fried durian!… £4

The smell of unwashed, overnight socks, sweat drying out the cotton, and blood perhaps from the gruelling hour long session working on the deltoids. The taste of a superiorly whipped egg custard… and soya sauce as a dip. Somehow, if you believe my ‘buds, this sweet-stinky-salty combo was successful as a starter.

Sushi Platter…. around £35quid

Not as amazing as I would have liked, if I’m being honest, however, it was still orgasmic, appetising and entirely pleasing. The rice was naturally amazing, sticky yet melts-in-the-mouth, just a gentle kick of vinegar, I would have wanted it to carry just a touch more warmth, but oh well. The fish however was excellent. Scallops were ridiculously sweet, so were the salmon (and belly), silky sea eel, the otoro disintegrated with a fragrant oiliness, mellow as opposed to just the taste of cold fat. Really accomplished stuff.

If you are in Taipei, I’d actually recommend just trying the cheaper sushi places like Hi Sushi, because it’s affordable and amazing, but if you have £20 to spare, pop into a Mitsui. As I said earlier, I think the Taiwanese have perfected the art of the set lunch. Nothing in London compares for the money, period.

The Gist of It

Mitsui
Japanese. Set Menu £20pp ; ala carte more than double..
No 30, Nong-an St., 1F Taipei City, Taiwan.
Tel : (02) 2594-3394

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All hail the gods of charcoal, keeper of the exalted flames, oh revered and magnanimous Ganko Ojisan, for I require six allotments of your juiciest chicken oysters. I imagine this place would be a hit on weekends what with its convenient location in Soho and for its appreciably straightforward and tasty grilled goodiness. Good for groups, but flexible enough for quick solo bites, a true alternative to pizza, a burger, ice cream or even duck rice and much cheaper than Roka.

Yes, this was once the Bincho at Oxo Tower, now relocated to Old Compton Street, and soon expanding into Central Saint Giles. Food was always going to play second fiddle to the view from Oxo, but now that it has moved, I wonder if certain sunset appreciators will miss it. The concept remains largely intact, the chefs still don black bandanas behind the charcoal and the main offerings are still Yakotori (grilled bird) and Kushiyaki (anything but bird). Additionally, there are salads, rice dishes but no sushi.

Their USP is a three pronged attack: Firstly the grill is flown from Japan, secondly their Yakitori sauce will blow your tastebuds to smithereens and lastly, the use of the mysterious binchō-tan, a white charcoal (also from Japan) made from oak that sounds like metal when struck (its inherent quality is so unique, wind chimes are made from it), and is chosen chiefly because of this burnt wood’s innate ability to heat up, be smokeless and free of odour.

Hajime!

I started with a glass of Kyoto Fushimizu sake, brewed with miyamizu, ‘heavenly water’ from Nishinomiya, a city in Hyogo, Japan. Interestingly, the waiter told me the overflow from the glass to the masu (square box made from cedar) it was served it, was not decorative. He told me to let the sake flow, and to drink from the box as the cedar would help bring out more sake-ness in the rice wine – an ancient tradition so I read.

We start with the Kushiyaki.

Unagi £5 for two skewers.

Prices are listed per skewer, but the minimum order is two, which is fine by me. So it appears the charcoal has done its business, allowing the surface of any meat (or unagi in this case) to be reduced to a incrustatial state of crustiness, burning out the exterior which in turn creates a dry contrast enough for one to notice the protected, interior wetness and thus giving rise to the sensation of well sealed juices. That first bite of sizzling smoke rushing into your mouth is heady, burn me baby.

Sea bream £4.60

Unfortunately, bincho-tan doesn’t work well with fish, this was tepid, dried-out and tough.

I should note that food flew out from the charcoal grill very speedily, we probably waited no more than 5 minutes.

Beef ribs £5.20

Similarly, I found the beef rib was too much like warmed-up beef jerky with lashings of a sweet and sticky sauce. It was ok.

We avoided the vegetables almost entirely.

Yakitori time.

Duck breast, spring onion and wasabi £4.40

The grilled birds are much, much better, I was astounded at how much juicier and fleshier this was, redolent of a campfire barbecue.

Chicken Oysters £4.00

Bincho will happily grill and serve any part of the chicken so long as they have it in the kitchens, so if you have a particular craving for chicken bum (which some do), then you can request it off the menu.

Great balls of fire…. the chicken oysters, fantastic! The oyster is a ball of meat found on the backbone and attached to the chicken’s thigh, so succulent that I would be a fool not to order it. Juicy, brawny, bouncy and smoky – when you go, you must order these pearls of joy, it is as good as chicken will ever get.

Chicken Skin £1.50

Probably even better than the chicken oysters were these crispy, crunchy and oily chicken skin on skewers. Naturally, it is full of natural buttery flavour, almost a tad too salty, but that’s where the rice comes in.

Oyako don, £5.50

Actually, I wanted the buttered garlic rice, but the waitress had one of these electronic touch screen ordering gizmos, where the order goes straight to the kitchen as she took it down… annoyingly when I changed my mind, she said the kitchen had probably started prepping it, so she wanted to avoid the hassle of running downstairs to change it, and urged me to stick with the oyako don. Puppy dog eyes ensued. Hmm… How much for service again?

Thankfully, this was a heartily warming bowl of rice topped with generous slices of chicken. Not quite megalamous portions however, as say when compared to Sakura, but rice was a necessity to balance out all that salt and protein.

Pre-theater menu £9.99. While I indulged in my a la carte, the missus had been quietly working her way through her superbly well valued set dinner.

The set comes with salad (with salmon), a bowl of rice and a selection of grilled meat.

Pork belly, chicken wing, chicken, salmon, shitake mushrooms and asparagus… all brilliantly juicy and smoky. In contrast to the dried out seabream, the salmon was juicy, but perhaps that’s partly because of the inherent oiliness.

The bill came to £56.13, which broke down to about £40 for my alacarte, and £16 for the missus’ pre-theatre and short Asahi. So be careful with this one, it can balloon to a pretty pricy affair if you order carelessly. Deceptively Chinese staff, undeniably camp chillout background music, what’s not to like? I would revisit. It sure beats Eds Diner… and I’ll follow this up with a visit to Tosa just for the sake of comparison.

The restaurant filled up as the evening wore on, I noted a few solo diners who really seemed to enjoy taking their time ordering skewer, after skewer, after skewer and I can see how this can easily become an addiction. Not everything was amazing, I would avoid the beef or pork; The yakitori on the other hand, is generally fabulous. Do keep an eye out for their specials, which on my visit were priced at £1.50 per skewer, and represented fantastic value for money. Otherwise, the ‘Seven Samurai’ for £10 is a good place to start, if you are struggling with choice. Although, I would say it’s all about the chicken oysters and chicken skin. Choose wisely and you shall be rewarded.

The Gist of It

Bincho
Japanese, £30pp
16 Old Compton Street W1D 4TL
Tel: 0207 287 9111
Tube: Leicester Square

Grilling the Birds: Gourmet Traveller ; Suzie’s Notes ; Greedy Diva ; Susan Loves Food ; Grumble Mouse ; Fay Maschler (covering the original OXO Tower iteration)

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All text and photography on this blogpost is copyright and belongs to Kang Leong, LondonEater.com. If you repost this without my permission, bad things will happen. So please don’t do it.

You might remember my first visit to this excellent sushi bar run by a husband and wife team in Warren street which I wrote about exactly two weeks ago. I loved it, praising the artistry, attention to detail and the sheer brilliance of the cold food. I said I would return for a birthday meal, and I did just that last week. Suffice to say it was yet another enthralling experience, this time there was more of a structure to it, as we opted for the omakase as opposed to the a la carte. It was no less dazzling. Omakase means ‘It’s up to you’, which I suppose is analogous to a taster menu, and prices start at £30. You get a choice of however much you want to spend. It was me and the other half, and she decided to spend £40 on me. The sushi bar is tiny, only has space for nine, and you would easily walk right by it. There is no glamour about it, but I suppose that’s why the idea of it is so romantic. It is quite a bit of a secret. Talk about substance eh. We drank 150ml of Chiyo Kotobuki sake (Daiginjo, kept cold in the refrigerated counter between refills) for £15.00. Minimal chatter (well, relatively anyway) on this one, if you want a wordier exposition, do read this in tandem with the first blogpost. The photographs here illustrate the portions for one.

And it begins…!

Crab roll, seaweed, cucumber, fish stock, vinegar.

Dinky, delightful start. The zingy vinegared fish stock with a juicy crab roll, made the palate sizzle.

Miso soup.

We were told that miso soup of the day was yuba (dried beancurds), indeed it was and it also came with seaweed. Slurp!

Seabass sashimi with mooli (daikon), spring onion and ponzu.

Here’s where the action began in earnest. Part of the Shiori experience is the theatre of becoming mesmerized with watching the chef prepare the next course while we eat the current one. Since the sushi bar is so small, diners are up close and personal with the chef. You catch all the little details as one witnesses the chef’s careful and meticulous focus in carving out silken slices of seabass. Beautiful isnt it? I think this illustrates his true trimming powers. It was so thin, I’d believe it if I was told it was shaved by a machine. Served on a glass platter, seemingly to emphasis the elegance of the sashimi.

We were advised to drop the dollop of crushed mooli and spring onion into the ponzu, to make a dipping sauce for the sashimi. The result: a tangy, mandarin flavour with a herby edge from the onions. Personally one of the most exemplary sashimi experiences (in London), you know, I forgot for a moment that I was having raw fish, it’s just so well prepared that the final product felt so clean, so clinical.

Sashimi platter.

It was a happy birthday. From back to front, Scallop sashimi rolled with truffle paste (that I raved about last time)…sweetness of the scallop plus the umami firepower of the truffle resulting in exothermic gushes of approval.

Next: Chutoro (half-fat belly tuna) wrapped in nori and yuba (I think) and topped with chopped yam and fresh wasabi. Oh my days, this was brilliant, the melting juiciness of the chopped chutoro was menacing, and the slimy yam added texture and just a subtle kick from the sliced wasabi. Forget deftly cut toro, I was completely gobsmacked with this rendition, it was a little like a burger mince, or a dumpling mince, dare I say.

A simple sweet prawn with shiso pesto hiding under the tail, and finally chopped aji. There was no lack of attention to detail on this platter, the radish with the leaves for wings; the shaped cucumber slices, the wasabi resting on a slice of radish.

Sushi platter.

Watching the chef create plate after plate of superbly presented food never got old, we just continued to be in awe of his godly talents. Stare at the sushi platter. Stare…

Needless to say, everything was tear-jerkingly good. The nigiri were sweet prawn with shiso pesto, mackerel (or was it seabass…I lost track) with ginger, salmon belly with fish roe and otoro. Back row, unagi with sancho pepper (‘bo-zushi’), tamago, aubergine with bonito flakes and scored squid nigiri and three spicy tuna maki. The rice need be praised as well, taking on a creamy, silken mouthfeel, a little warm, a little sugary, a little bit pickled. Beautiful work, just gorgeously fantastic, superbly brilliant, insurmountably awesome. Insert adjectives et cetera.

And lastly, wagyu nigiri with ponzu jelly (One for each diner).

As we moped up the remnants on the sushi platter, the chef cleaned up his table top, whipped out two slices of wagyu beef, and disappeared into the kitchen behind the curtain. I could hear the whooshing sounds of a blowtorch going off. Boom. Before long, he came back out with two torched slices of beef and pressed it flat between two pieces of paper. Not sure why he pressed them flat however.

And like the previous meal, this was utterly orgasmic. The chef’s wife (who took care of front of house duties) informed that it was Australian wagyu, the ponzu jelly rapidly melting atop the seared beef. I took the first piece, and put it in my mouth. Mmm. I took the other piece, and put it in my mouth. Mmm, déjà vu. It was my birthday after all.

Home-made ice cream, sesame and sweet potato.

These were lovely, with the grainy texture of Japanese ice cream I have come to love, the black sesame in particular was really good, taking on a inky mouthfeel about it. Nice.

As we finished, we got chatting to the husband and wife team, she very kindly made us a pot of her favourite tea, hojicha, over ice to match the season and she explained how this was a common feature in Kyoto restaurants. She then asked us about the portion size/number of courses to gauge if the omakase was filling enough. I said yes on the spot, but of course, secretly, I couldn’t get enough, I could have the omakase twice, thrice… (what comes after?). On a more serious note, perhaps this could do with a small bowl of noodles to round things off. Otherwise, it was £40 well spent, and in my humble opinion, you’re getting alot of bang for the buck, alot of premium ingredients were used to create this omakase. She had also mentioned that spending more meant even more expensive ingredients, and it doesn’t really affect portions so much.

Sushi of Shiori is my favourite sushi restaurant in London now, they tick all the boxes, I am just utterly in love with what they are doing. I can safely say that everything on the menu is excellent. The flair really comes across, and I am so glad that Shiori are in London. They have been opened for just over a year now, and I am hoping they will have many successful years ahead. I’m going to revisit as much as I can, bring as many friends and family there as is humanly possible. About the only thing I regret is not getting a proper introduction to the humble couple who own and run Shiori, but the next time I go (I’m taking my brother next month) I will get their names. The final bill was £95, £40 each for the omakase and £15 for the sake, service at the discretion of the customer. I cannot recommend this highly enough, if you have a passion for sushi, spend your money at Shiori and be dazzled.

The first review here.

The Gist of It

Sushi of Shiori
Japanese, £45pp
144 Drummond Street, Off Hamstead Road, NW1 2PA
Tel: 020 7388 9962
Tube: Warren Street

Even more sushi love bookmarked: Rocket & Squash ; Hollowlegs ; The Catty Life ; Felixhirsch’s tour de table

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All text and photography on this blogpost is copyright and belongs to Kang Leong, LondonEater.com. If you repost this without my permission, bad things will happen. So please don’t do it.