Outside of Japan, London has had a flurry of excellent Japanese restaurants, and it is thriving.
The offering goes well beyond sushi rolls and ramen noodles. From the best melt-in-your-mouth sushi to the most succulent Kobe beef, here are some of the best places in the capital to get a true taste of the land of the rising sun.
Dinings
The restaurant, tucked away in a picturesque mews in Walton Street, with a blossom-lined terrace out back, specialises in an evolved Izakaya-style of cooking. Japanese-born Executive Chef Masaki Sugisaki, who was part of the opening team at NOBU Berkeley Street, has curated a menu that combines authentic Japanese cooking with European influences. Sitting at the sushi counter is best. With such an extensive menu that it can get confusing, just look over your shoulder at the experienced Dinings-goers and you can’t go wrong. Don’t focus on the surroundings, focus on the cuisine, that’s where the attention lies. Reservations are taken a month in advance, so be sure to set a date to visit this popular venue.
Zuma
Rainer Becker’s landmark Japanese is now in six countries around the globe, which is testament to its continued excellence. In London’s Knightsbridge, it has set a standard for all modern Japanese restaurants, and certainly draws a crowd. An attention-grabbing sake-based cocktail list, and a Robata Grill menu featuring personal favourites, the barley miso marinated baby chicken, the langoustines are a must try, and the ‘off the menu’ Arjun roll (named after the owner’s personal order). Don’t forget the black cod and miso, while a stalwart on all Japanese restaurants, Zuma’s is second to none.
Chisou
A popular lunchtime jaunt, this is where you go for sushi and sashimi. Just off Regent Street, the owner David Leroy is a world-ranked sake sommelier and he has made his restaurant feel very much like a well-established neighbourhood joint in Tokyo. All the rituals are down pat, hot towels, as well as complimentary appetisers and desserts. The chef’s pride themselves on creating the finest sushi, from classic salmon sushi to the more innovative unagi maki special (avocado and fresh crabmeat rolled inside out with flying fish roe and topped with braised eel). They’ve also set up shop in Knightsbridge. You’ll be in safe hands here.
Uchi
Instagram and Pinterest lovers, this one is for you. Don’t be fooled by their bare website, they are all about daily specials which they peg to a lattice on the wall. Towards Hackney, the outside and the inside are rather different. Sit at the brushed gold counter, and you are surrounded by pretty glass vases, delicate foliage with soothing music and dim lighting. Uchi is not a yakitori or sushi restaurant, but a self-described home-style café, including skewered chicken yakitori, buttery tuna sashimi, crispy vegetable tempura. And the experimental salads are worth a try; the hijiki seaweed, carrot, and tofu sarada is particularly good.
Roka
Another establishment of Rainer Becker, you know it’s always going to be busy. The Fitzrovia outlet (my favourite), Mayfair, Aldwych and also Canary Wharf. The menu is organised by style of cooking, sushi & sashimi harbours it’s selection of traditional raw fish fare; snacks, soups & salads, for all the side dishes; Roka dishes are a selection of their signature stuff and finally the Robata is where you will find the charcoaled infused grilled food. Pick a little from everything and you won’t be disappointed. Save space for dessert, it’s impressive to see if not eat.
Kikuchi
Owner Chef Masayuki Kikuchi has run this restaurant with his wife for over 20 years. I almost kept this as ‘my little secret’, but it’s too good to share. With only 16 seats, I suggest you go Omakase and trust you are in good hands as Kikuchi himself creates his delicate masterpieces behind the sushi counter. This restaurant remains largely anonymous and is frequented by those ‘who know’. Now you know, it is most definitely worth heading along!
Sushi Samba
With a menu by way of Brazil, its actually the gob-smacking views from the 38th floor of the Heron Tower that takes you here. This is one of a handful of UK restaurants licensed to import Kobe beef, the most premium form of Wagyu available. If you’ve got some spare change, £1,000 buys you 1kg of Kobe beef, served ishiyaki style, with thin slices of meat cooked on a hot stone at the table. Kobe ribeye (£144) or two pieces of Kobe beef nigiri (£24) might be a more palatable way for first-timers to get a taste for the famously rich meat. Perhaps over the food is the killer cocktail list… sipping these, on one of their large outdoor terraces and enjoying the view? You are golden.
Sushi Tetsu
With only seven seats and booking lines opening twice a month, simply getting a table is half the achievement! It is run by husband-and-wife Toru and Harumi Takahashi and hidden away down a Clerkenwell alley. But what makes it so hard to get a table? You will find some of the most authentic sushi here. Head Chef Toru Takahashi – nicknamed “Tetsu” when he was a young apprentice in Kobe – hand-makes everything, so put your tastebuds in his hands. Opt for the omakase menu at £68 or £88 and give them 24-hours notice so that Chef Toru can pick out the finest ingredients for his classic nigiri, sashimi, hand rolls and omelettes.
Nobu
Nobu Park Lane was the first outlet outside of the USA in 1997. It grabbed a Michelin star in its first year, and subsequently lost it, but the food remains consistently excellent, successfully fusing Japanese and Peruvian. The classic dishes are a must order: yellowtail sashimi with jalapeño, popcorn shrimp with ponzu sauce, and the legendary black cod with miso. This one has views over Park Lane and Hyde Park; and the newest opening on Portman Square in the Nobu Hotel has a perfect summer terrace to enjoy.
Shoryu
Born and raised in Hakata, Shoryu’s executive chef Kanji Furukawa set out to recreate the pork bone broth unique to his home town. The stock is boiled for more than 12 hours, distilling the bones, marrow and meat down to a deeply creamy infusion, while the noodles can be served as firm or soft as you like. Draped with nori, and layered with silken rounds of pork belly snuggling a soft Burford egg, it is as good looking as it is delicious, as well as soft on the wallet. Winning all round.
Defune
Apparently the longest running Japanese restaurant in London, since opening 35 years ago. Sit at the sushi bar and the Chef will be happy to talk to you and suggest favourites as you dine. Impeccable sushi and sashimi, delicately prepared, it is a must stop for a counter lunch. There is nowhere in London where the rice is as good as it is here, warm and of perfect texture. Like all good sushi restaurants, you don’t need the soy sauce or wasabi as the Chef has already prepared it how it should be eaten. At £16 for a piece of fatty tuna, it is indulgent. At the same time, one piece is so richly satisfying, you won’t want to order more than that.
Hannah
An unassuming Japanese restaurant in Waterloo with a tasting menu to compete with London’s big hitters. Hannah combines traditional Japanese dishes with the occasional European influence. There’s the spectacular seafood on offer particularly the pillowy pieces of sea bass, plucked straight from the Cornish coast and charcoal- grilled until the skin is crunchy-crisp. Then there’s the fish and chips: at a Japanese restaurant you ask? Oh yes. Delicate tempura monkfish that’s crispy on the outside and slightly raw on the inside, purple potato and vinegar crisps with smoked caviar, balancing on a black tree branch. Take it all in with a glass of sake to match.
Tonkotsu
As far as chains go, this is one we find particularly reliable. These modern Japanese ramen bars are the only thing that hits the spot when noodles are on the mind. There’s traditional tonkotsu – a rich pork broth enriched with lardo and slices of sweet pork belly – or something lighter, the umami miso ramen with bobbing shiitake, enoki and shimeji mushrooms is a winner – and a strong veggie alternative. All homemade noodles and broths are served alongside a selection of gyoza, sides, sake, cocktails and craft beer.
MARU
Milo Brown Photography
Taking over the space from the original Taka, Maru comes from the same people but will have a very different approach – all centred around a 20-course omakase-style tasting menu. With room for just eight diners, the restaurant is intimate enough for conversations between different groups to be shared, and it is a wholly “private dining experience” with the Japanese spirit of ‘Omotenashi’ which translates as to “wholeheartedly looking after your guest”. The restaurant’s chef, Taiji Maruyama, is a third-generation sushi-maker who cut his teeth at Nobu and Beaverbrook, oversees all parts of the dining experience, from the menu and cooking, to the interior design and crockery, which he handmade himself, to even designing the flower arrangements. While it’s not cheap, it’s special, and most definitely worth it.
Any Questions or Tips to add?