Scallop Sashimi
AKASAKA Japanese

AKASAKA Japanese

23 Castilian Streetshire NN1 1JS, Northampton, United Kingdom

Sushi • Asiatic • Seafood • 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."

Flesh & Buns

Flesh & Buns

41 Earlham St, Bloomsbury WC2H 9LX, London, United Kingdom

Bars • Full • Asian • Steak


"We really enjoyed our meal and time in Flesh Buns. Our waiter Abi or Adi, sorry, I forgot the name) was very friendly and nice. The food was nice too. We had the tasting menu. Great value for money. I love the cocktails I had. One was the Lucky Cat Cocktail amazing and funny presentation) and other was Zen Garden I think), one of the most beautiful cocktails I've ever had I love sweet cocktails). I just didn't really enjoy the vegetables with the nets because they were soaked in vinegar. Even if the dessert could be a bit bigger. The main complaint I would make is that food was brought very quickly so that the service felt a little rushed. We were only halfway our cold appetizers when we got the hot squid and chicken wings. I feel that it would be better to get the hot food when the table is ready with the cold food, so the hot would not get cold. I also mentioned at my booking that this dinner was for my birthday, but that was not mentioned or I did not get a birthday contract. I'm not really sure if this restaurant even makes something for birthdays, so that's okay, I think. Also the food we had was not presented and explained so that I read online what we eat. Another little advice would be to have a less table on the wall tables of 2) because it is a little tricky to sit down without disturbing the tables next to you. I really want to mention the hosts women with green jacket and short hair. She was very positive, attentive, energetic and nice what I think is extremely important because she was the first person we saw when we came in. Overall, I am very pleased with our experience and I think it was a great value for money."

Pasha Central Asian

Pasha Central Asian

158 Camberwell Road, London I-SE5 0EE, United Kingdom

Uzbek • Asian • Coffee • Turkish


"Once inside, you can choose to sit at a regular table or in a low seating area surrounded by plush cushions, which I highly recommend. The restaurant was quite empty when we visited, with only two other patrons, yet it felt peaceful and inviting—a calming experience enhanced by the journey through the narrow corridor. We started with Turkish coffee, which tasted like a lighter version of espresso. For appetizers, we ordered icli kofte, and I have to say it was truly amazing—crispy and fresh with a perfect balance of flavors, and the taste of the lamb was exceptional. For the main course, we tried besh barmak, and it was absolutely delicious! The broth was well-balanced, and the delicate beef was served with a pasta that was reminiscent of lasagna. It was simply outstanding. We also ordered a chicken alaturka, which was good but didn’t quite measure up to the previous dish. From the grill, we had the adana shashlik, which was underwhelming. To finish, we ordered black tea served with chak chak, which complemented the tea wonderfully and left us feeling very satisfied. The portions were generous, and the flavors were harmoniously balanced. The most remarkable aspect of the restaurant was its ambiance; it felt so much like home that we ended up staying for four hours without wanting to leave. Our server was incredibly friendly and enthusiastic, happy to discuss the food and the restaurant with us. I’m already looking forward to my next visit!"

Sushiya

Sushiya

19 Dalry Road, Edinburgh, EH112BQ, EH11 2BQ, United Kingdom

Sushi • Cafés • Asiatic • Seafood


"Sushiya is nestled between two other much bigger buildings on Dalry Road near Haymarket and if you blink you 'll probably miss it as it 's only around a third of the size of its neighbours. My little sister is somewhat obsessed with all things Japanese, so when she came up to visit last month, she jumped at the chance of eating at an authentic Japanese restaurant. We had Inari and chicken Yakitori for starters (along with a cup of very unremarkable green tea) which were both very nice but perhaps a tad too pricey at what amounted to £3 a mouthful. Fearing the same cost/size ratio from the sushi we opted to order from elsewhere on the menu. I had chicken teriyaki (with a bowl of miso soup) whilst my sister plumped for a bowl of chicken ramen; and by bowl I mean vat that dish was freakin ' huge! Both are fairly staple dishes for a Japanese restaurant and were equally acceptable if not outstanding but what struck me about both (especially when taking into consideration what I said about the size of the starters) is that this place 's portion control is way out of whack the mains were huge and I struggled to finish mine, my sister gave up halfway through. That 's not the worst thing in the world but I can 't help but feel that I would have been happier paying slightly less for a portion I could have comfortably managed. That 's not to sound like I 'm being cheap (besides the non sushi mains a very reasonably priced anyway) it 's just that I 'm begrudged to leave food I 've paid for. As opposed to stole. Obviously. The service was okay and the waitresses were friendly enough but we did wait for around forty five minutes for our main courses to come. As for its facilities, the interior is small but well kept. It just about barely escapes feeling cramped when full but that 's the kind of setting you come to expect from communal eating bars like these. Size then is an obvious limitation for small lunch bars so it proved to be somewhat surprising when customers were continually turned away due to the establishment being full despite the fact that there was an unoccupied reserved table big enough for a party of seven who (I learned from overhearing the waitresses) were already over half an hour late. Surely this isn 't good business sense; I understand that a reservation of seven is certainly better than the prospect of no custom at all but at the same time there needs to be a line drawn where you lose your reservation and it 's your fault. The seven eventually swaggered in with no hint of apology or excuse as to their tardiness. I hated them a little bit. Whinge and moan from me then and it 's certainly not directed at the restaurant itself it 's more because a) I deplore lateness and b) I really want to see little restaurants like this stay open; they 're three a penny in other parts of the world but we genuinely don 't have all too many of them in the UK and it 's poorly behaved customers along with the reluctance to discipline them (i.e. by cancelling their reservation) which threaten their very existence. All in all then, Sushiya proved very acceptable for a Saturday lunch. I 'm not all too sure I 'd go out of my way to go there again, or that the mood would ever strike me to just pop along; but for aficionados of Japanese cuisine, it 's certainly worth a look. The Water Situation: Water served happily and without fuss."