Chicken Katsu Curry
Okasan Sushi

Okasan Sushi

301 Portobello Road, London, W105TD, W10 5TE, United Kingdom

Fish • Soup • Sushi • Coffee


"Okasan, meaning Mother in Japanese, is a bijou restaurant on the fashionable Portobello Road in W10. A yearning for a plate of sashimi, tempura and some dumplings drew me in to have a final treat before the rigours of co-running my own food business set in after a brief and well deserved break. My companion, a lover of Japanese salad dressings ordered a simple salad, chicken karaage, deep fried chicken and ginger with a spicy mayonnaise and we agreed on a delicate Pinot Girgot blush, a Sospiro priced at £17.00. The salad arrived first and the dressing was so good I had to beg the waitress to tell us what the ingredients were. The chef duly obliged. It was a mix of vinegar, peanuts, sugar, apple juice, water, salt, vegetable oil, sesame seeds and soy sauce. Knowing what is in your food doesn't mean you can recreate the same taste, but I'm going to give it a damned good try. It was simply sensational. Next came the steamed and pan fried dumplings; little golden nuggets of yumminess. My sashimi was spankingly fresh and served with the usual wasabi and the thin slivers of ginger had the perfect tartness to marry with the oily fish. If I had a little gripe it was that there was no daikon, the shredded Japanese radish (or mooli) that has a lovely crunch to it and nearly always accompanies it. The deep fried chicken that had been marinated in soy and ginger was delicious and the spicy mayo packed a punch. I don't recall ever seeing mayo on a Japanese menu before, (this was mayo mixed with chili sauce) but it worked. The wine, ice cold and very pleasant quaffing vino to boot slipped down all too easily. Being a greedy git I then ordered some prawn tempura, the batter of which was light as a feather and a crispy, heavenly coating for the juicy king prawns inside. A double espresso later and the bill came to £60. Japanese food is never cheap (especially when you think of the price of sashimi grade fish which only lasts a day at most) but the flavours, the delicacy, the quality of a good Japanese experience is well worth the price in my book and that's exactly what we had. I'm already looking forward to the next visit."

Wagamama

Wagamama

Cabots Circus, Bristol, BS13BX, BS1 3BX, United Kingdom

Sushi • Cafés • Asiatic • Japanese


"Never again!! Visited as a group of 4. Asked if we’d been to waga’s before . We all said yes. Was told ‘so you understand the food all comes out at different times’. We did and understood. However, when 3 people order starters and mains and the mains come out before the starters, it didn’t start well. I understand the food coming out in dribs and drabs, but surely the starters should still come out before mains!!? What is the point in having a starters and mains section on the menu!? I didn’t order a starter. I ordered a chicken Katsu curry. 5 minutes after everyone had finished their mains, followed by starters; the server approached me. “What are you missing?” My reply- “a katsu chicken curry”. Server- “Ok, I’ll check with the kitchen now” After checking with the kitchen, she came back over and told me they were very sorry for the delay. The chef was just plating it up. 10 minutes later, it still hadn’t arrived. Another server appeared and took over. The previous server never appeared after. Was told again that the dish was just about to be served, they’re not sure what the problem was but it has been taken off the bill. The curry arrived a few minutes later, 15 mins after everyone else had finished eating their mains……followed by starters. I was appreciative of it being taken off the bill and the servers apology. However, tbh, I probably wouldn’t have eaten or payed for it after it arrived. The chicken was overcooked and cut terribly. Probably half the portion size I have received in previous visits. The sticky rice was dry, and the salad tasted like it should have been thrown away 24 hours previously. Thank goodness we didn’t order dessert. That would have probably arrived before the ramen main course and followed by a dessert of prawn wrapped in seaweed. Nearly £100 later, felt very annoyed. Won’t re-visit"