If I told you I ate at a Japanese restaurant last night and asked you to guess what I had, you’d probably say sushi, or ramen. At the very least you’d guess that fish played a prominent role. The last thing you’d go for is barbecued meat – what’s Japanese about that? Well, stick with me while I explain. Continue reading
Well, that’s it then. Christmas is over. New Year is over. The new year starts in earnest this week and you want something to eat that is nothing like all the rich food you’ve been scarfing down over the holidays. Something different – healthy, light and interesting with subtle flavours, high on fish and vegetables and low on meat. What you want is Japanese food, and you’re in luck – London is full of great places to eat Japanese. Here’s my top five recommendations for the coming year. Continue reading
Ippudo is the latest ramen restaurant to open in London, as the ramen craze shows no sign of abating. Up until now we’ve mainly seen small, dedicated operations with a personal commitment to top class Hakata ramen, but Ippudo breaks new ground with a snazzy new 80-seat restaurant in the glitzy new glass skyscrapers of Central St Giles. So what’s it like? Continue reading
This autumn London’s love affair with ramen reaches a new intensity with two new ramen restaurants going head to head on St Giles High St. The first of them, Kanada-ya, opened this week and I went along to see what’s on offer. Continue reading
I don’t know about you, but with the summer we’re having, my thoughts turn to light, healthy lunches in cool places. Something salad-focused with a bit of a difference to tempt a summer appetite. Well, I’ve found just the place. It’s in South Kensington, just around the corner from the V&A, but off the tourist track so it’s quiet and relaxed. It’s called Tombo and it serves healthy Japanese food. Continue reading
I’ve had Matsuri listed on my Japanese Restaurants page ever since I started this blog. It’s one of the first Japanese restaurants in London I ever went to (back in the nineties) and I was taken there by people from the Japanese Embassy which is a good indicator of quality and authenticity. So when I was invited to a bloggers’ evening at the restaurant, which has just relaunched its sushi bar and appointed a new head chef, I jumped at the chance to go back and see how this old favourite was doing in a slightly newer guise. Continue reading
Sake no Hana is a modern Japanese restaurant in St James, located on the first floor of the Economist Building, a grey modern block flanking Economist Plaza. It’s an offshoot of Hakkasan, a modern Chinese restaurant which is also responsible for dim sum restaurant Yauatcha. So the question is, can a restaurant run by a Chinese group be authentically Japanese? Continue reading
The search for good authentic Japanese food in London is never ending, but last night I found a place that goes right to the top of my list. It’s Kirazu, a tiny restaurant on Rupert St, just off Shaftesbury Avenue and opposite the stage door of the Gielgud Theatre. It bills itself as specialising in ‘Japanese tapas and takeaway’. So what made me like it so much? Continue reading
