★★★★☆ / Japanese Noodles

Tonkotsu review – proper ramen comes to Soho

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

★★★☆☆ / Japanese / Japanese Noodles / Sushi/Sashimi

Ittenbari review – ramen revelation or revulsion?

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

★★☆☆☆ / Chinese / Japanese / Korean / Pan-Asian / Thai and Lao / Vietnamese

East Street review – full of Eastern promise or just full of it?

Oxford Street’s East Asian street food smorgasbord With some restaurants, the reasons behind the choice of décor can be inscrutable but that isn’t the case with East Street. East Street is a casual eatery located just off the north edge of Oxford Street and serves up a broad menu of street food from a large … Continue reading

★★★☆☆ / Chinese / Japanese / Thai and Lao / Vietnamese

Kin review – Holborn’s Asian street food hideaway

Jack of all trades but master of none? Following my stiflingly average experience at Banana Tree, I wasn’t enthused about trying another budget pan-Asian eatery but the need for a cheap meal after a hard day’s slog at work prompted me to visit Kin. This new restaurant, located on a side road you probably wouldn’t stumble across, … Continue reading

★★★☆☆ / Japanese / Sushi/Sashimi

Satsuma review – currying favour

Stylish surroundings, but is the food any good? Satsuma used to be a by-the-numbers Japanese restaurant that could be depended upon for a tasty bowl of udon noodles but little more. The Soho eatery has now been remodelled and reopened as self-touted katsu curry specialists (long-time Londoners will probably remember the dim sum restaurant that … Continue reading