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AKASAKA Japanese

AKASAKA Japanese

23 Castilian Streetshire NN1 1JS, Northampton, United Kingdom

Sushi • Curry • Asiatic • Chicken


"I wondered why this restaurant described itself on the board outside as ‘fusion’, why there were so many Korean dishes on the menu and why the serving staff have heard of Asahi beer but haven’t heard of The Asahi Shimbun, a Japanese daily newspaper that is at least 50 years old. The answer is that the Akasaka website isn’t being completely honest when it describes their Northampton branch as a Japanese restaurant. They aren’t really Japanese, although some of their menu items are clearly Japanese. Don’t let that put you off, however, as they are serving excellent food and we enjoyed our meal there very much. It cost us about £70 (inc. 10% tip) for our meal for two people including a 175ml glass of Sauvignon Blanc for my lovely wife and two 330ml bottles of Asahi Dry for me. The sushi was excellent, the edamame beans were great but we didn’t feel that the Dolsot Bibimbap (a Korean dish with loads of rice, some shredded vegetables, prawns and a fried egg on top) offered very good value for money at just under sixteen pounds. We would recommend Akasaka in Northampton and would certainly go there again, but if we want a genuinely Japanese meal, prepared and served by Japanese staff, then we will be sticking to Ginza Restaurant on Wellingborough Road in Northampton. Don’t like the way that the male members of staff at Sakura on Bridge Street speak to their female colleagues, very disrespectful, so we avoid that Japanese restaurant nowadays. Great to have a choice of three Japanese restaurants in Northampton post-pandemic, and our favourite of the three is Ginza."

Robata

Robata

56 Old Compton St, London W1D 4UE, United Kingdom

Sushi • Grill • Asian • Japanese


"To manage one 's expectations, I would describe Robata as Japanese inspired rather than authentic Japanese food. To summarise, the service was good and the food was okay. Here are the pros and cons: Pros The waiting staff was attentive and gracious, even though 2 of our guests were VERY late. I really commend them for their patience. Service was fast. The waiting staff was well versed in allergens and there were plenty of dairy free and gluten free options The interior was quirky and reminded me of Japanese manga meets art nouveau which I liked very much! The general ambience and music were upbeat I can imagine Robata being a good option for pre going out dinner with friends or a casual first date, but some may find it a bit loud for intimate dinners The sake mojito was delicious! Cons The traditional Japanese menu items including sushi rolls and sashimi did not perform strongly. The robatayaki skewer items (Robata 's name sake) were better, but unfortunately did not steal my heart I felt the flavours and seasoning were too strong for my palate and this genre of food Neutral Observations The menu was eclectic with a mixture of Japanese (sushi, robatayaki) Korean (kimchi rice), Peruvian (ceviche) and other foods (I 'm not sure where tartare originates). There were some open 'bao ' options, which were some Asian inspired hot fillings wrapped in a flat piece of steamed bun. Personally, I 'm not a fan but I 've encountered this in a few restaurants in London so this seems to be a popular concept in recent times. Who knows? "