Sometimes smaller really is better Compared to the barren dessert of a year ago, London’s Soho is now awash with dedicated ramen restaurants – namely Ittenbari, Tonkotsu, Bone Daddies and Shoryu. The latest is Kirazu, a very small restaurant on the former site of a Lebanese cafe. Small is the key word in every sense – … Continue reading »
Ramen-ya or Ramen nah? Ramen restaurants are like buses – you wait ages for one, then three come along all at once. I’ve visited Tonkotsu before, but that little Soho gem has now been joined by Bone Daddies and Shoryu and all three are within easy walking distance of each other. Although all three serve … Continue reading »
Piccadilly Japanese is just going through the motions There’s a curious glut of Japanese restaurants on Lower Regent Street, a short walk away from Piccadilly Circus. If you have a lot of money, the hilariously small branch of Japanese department store chain Mitsukoshi has its own high-priced restaurant. If you’re on a budget, then the … Continue reading »
Noodle kaboodle Thanks to the instant noodle convenience food that shares its name, ramen isn’t the most glamorous of dishes, but it can be surprisingly difficult to get right. The imaginatively named Tonkotsu on Dean Street is a new restaurant that eschews sushi and katsu curries, concentrating solely on this underappreciated noodle soup dish. Tonkotsu … Continue reading »
Ra-ra-ramen-ra In London’s increasingly crowded restaurant scene, new eateries often need a hook or some unique selling point to pull in the punters. For restaurants drawing on the rich culinary heritage of a foreign country, one easy hook is a dish or regional cuisine underrepresented in the UK. Ittenbari is a new Japanese restaurant specialising … Continue reading »
Eye-catching, mouth pleasing. Following my consumption of at least two depleted animal populations during my lunch at Archipelago (bees and eel), I decided to make up for it by seeing if they were any sustainability-conscious restaurants in London. As luck would have it Moshi Moshi, a Japanese restaurant I’ve been meaning to try for a … Continue reading »
Inexpensive and quick. I can’t complain about that. Or can I? Oh God, I hear you cry! Not another review of a Japanese restaurant! Admittedly I enjoy Japanese food much to the detriment of my wallet and the boredom of my less-enthusiastic dining companions, but this will be the last Japanese restaurant review, at least … Continue reading »
Japanese restaurants in London, especially those serving sushi and sashimi, tend to be expensive. Unfortunately, the more reasonably priced ones usually aren’t very good either <cough, Yo Sushi, cough>. An exception to this rule is Ten Ten Tei, a small restaurant in Soho on Brewer Street. The place has a ramshackle, threadbare look to it. … Continue reading »
I’m a big fan of meat, but I can respect the choice of vegetarians to avoid the bloody stuff. Two of my regular dining companions, the Prancing Hippy and the Flame Haired Squelchie, are vegetarians. Technically, the Hippy is a pescetarian as he does eat fish and other seafood – presumably they don’t deserve his … Continue reading »
