Octopus And Orzo Octopus And Orzo

Tender octopus served with flavorful orzo, combining Mediterranean ingredients for a delightful seafood dish.

Koji

Koji

58 New Kings Road London, SW6 4LS, United Kingdom

Sushi • Asian • Japanese • Vegetarian


"It's no secret that I love Japanese food. And even less of a secret is my fondness for a good cocktail. So put the two together and I'm a very happy girl. Koji which ticks both these boxes in Parsons Green, seems to be a bit of a secret.... I'd never heard of it until researching sake cocktails for a piece I wrote for Time Out, but when they read my piece they invited me down to sample the cocktails and food in person. I went along with Lucy the night before heading to Tresco to do a weekend of pop ups, and we had the most delicious feast of delicate yet punchy Japanese food with punchy yet delicate cocktails!Koji have an ex Nobu chef in their kitchen and you can really tell there's someone who knows what they're doing there. Every dish was exquisite, and the whole experience heightened by being in such a gorgeous setting if you want to impress a date then head straight to Koji. We started with cocktails in the elegant bar area, which is lit by huge feather covered lights. When you go to Koji (which you really should if you're anything like me about good cocktails and Japanese food) order the lemongrass and chilli martini. The perfect balance of zesty and spicy it left our lips tingling in all the right ways. We didn't get round to trying it but the watermelon martini also sounds divine.The food at Koji is Japanese,with a modern twist. The menu's divided into snacks, hot and cold tapas, robata grill and various forms of sushi and sashimi. Being the good (greedy) reviewers that we are, we tried to sample something from each section. Starting with the most wonderful soft shell crab and asparagus summer roll. Light, fresh and expertly rolled it was a great start to what turned out to be a top notch meal."

Nobu

Nobu

19 Old Park Lane London, W1K 1LB, United Kingdom

Sushi • Asian • Seafood • Japanese


"I remember when I was younger the idea of eating raw fish seemed quite strange and at that time it wasn’t hugely popular in the UK but in my late teens eventually sushi boxes started to take the place of sandwiches, Yo! Sushi became a regular haunt and I started to fall in love with Japanese food. My sister was my partner is sushi-crime and we loved the fun of the Japanese ‘Kaiten’ and sharing selection boxes from Marks Spencer and other high street places. But soon our fondness for sushi rolls meant we wanted to try the real deal. Back then there wasn’t the plethora of sushi restaurants in London that there is now but we set our sights on the very best…Nobu, Old Park Lane. Once there we clumsily held our chopsticks and we feasted on the freshest succulent sashimi, marvellous maki rolls and crisp shrimp tempura.And then the black cod arrived, the delicious flesh of the fish marinated in miso, had a sweet, buttery taste on the tongues of us young sushi novices…it was incredible…that was it…we were hooked. I’ve now revisited Nobu Old Park Lane many times, always remembering it was the first time I ever had proper sushi…But Nobu has become a bit of an addiction for me and not only do I also love the Berkeley Street branch in London but I’ve actually visited Nobu restaurants on four different continents. My favourite being Nobu Malibu, a beautiful open restaurant where you can sit nibbling on edamame beans whilst taking in a stunning view of the ocean."

Chisou

Chisou

4 Princes Street London, W1B 2LE, FSA Food H, United Kingdom

Soup • Meat • Sushi • Seafood


"I have been a lifelong fan of Japanese cuisine and went most recently went to Tokyo in 2019. Chisou stands above the crowd of all fine dining Japanese restaurants I've been to outside Japan. My mum had been there one time prior and had an...amazing experience, my father and I both went for the first time tonight with her. The menu is a complex and interesting overview of all Japanese cuisine highlights, including a comprehensive menu of Sushi/Sashimi, Noodles (Udon/Soba), Teriyaki/Tempura, and some delightful takes on the traditional izakaya offering. They also offer an extensive sake menu, with some very unique items that complement whatever you choose to order. Beyond their superbly cultivated menu, the service at Chisou can only be described as exceptional. The entire staff truly care if you are having a good time, and are happily there to provide advice on guiding you through your meal. My dad is not a huge fan of raw seafood, and the sushi chef took an interest in challenging his hesitations- he offered us an incredible smoked mackerel as an amuse-bouche to test if my dad would like it, and he did. We ordered a number of starters- the gyoza, fried oysters, uni, and chuuka seaweed salad- all were superb. I was extremely impressed at the freshness and quality of the ingredients, as well as the beauty and care with presentation. For his main, my dad ordered the tofu steak, which was the most velvety and flavourful tofu we have had outside of our favourite place in Tokyo (called I <3 Gyoza). My mum and I had the sashimi omekase for 2, and the consideration from the chef was beyond exceptional. He asked us our preferences, my mum is a fan of ami ebi, I love tako and ika- all 3 were of the highest quality I've experienced. He also took a great interest in how we were enjoying things and continually provided advice or information about what we were eating. The waiting staff was also extremely caring and fun to speak with, and really were happy to see that we enjoyed ourselves. The manager also gave us a wonderful recommendation of an undistilled sake to go with our desserts, that was simply fabulous. Chisou is not just truly fantastic dining in terms of quality of food and service, but a theatrical experience that will make you feel as if you've teleported from London right into a Japanese izakaya. We have already booked a reservation to go back tomorrow and I cannot wait."

Akira

Akira

101-111 Kensington High Street, London I-W8 5SA, United Kingdom

Fish • Sushi • Asian • Japanese


"When the sashimi course came out, a different staff member mentioned “beef croquet” while describing the dishes. This raised a red flag, so I asked another staff member about it. She reassured me that it was potato and leek croquet and definitely contained no beef, apologizing for the confusion. I felt a bit more at ease when I cut it open, as it looked like a typical croquet. However, when I started eating it, the flavor reminded me of beef, and it made me feel ill—I almost had to spit it out. My partner also tried the same dish but didn’t recall tasting any beef. Since I was cautious about beef, I was more sensitive to the taste. It's possible they fried it in the same oil; I'm not sure. We each ordered a robata and a sushi omakase, with five courses each, but many of the courses were the same, which was a bit disappointing. Because of the croquet incident and the similarities in the courses, I would say this event turned out to be a mixed experience. The food was mostly good, though some dishes were not quite up to par. While the pricing felt slightly on the high side, it is London, so I suppose that's to be expected. I was also disappointed that the staff didn’t check in on how we were enjoying the courses when taking dishes away, especially in a restaurant of this caliber. On a positive note, the cake was delicious, the sashimi was excellent, and the grilled items were good too. I did find it a bit odd that some of the items on the plate were just sauces; I wouldn't expect to drink sauce like a soup. As for the deep-fried tomato, I would have preferred chicken instead, but that’s a minor detail. I think it would be helpful for the restaurant to provide a menu card so that customers can enjoy their omakase experience, particularly if they have any allergies."