Restaurants

This trendy sushi chain picked up some unfortunate associations following the death of Victor Litvinenko. But at the Chelsea branch you can concentrate instead on the sushi, sashimi and fusion dishes revolving around the counter-style dining room. Service is as slick as an oiled otter. If no seats are available, diners are dispatched upstairs to the moody lounge bar with an electronic pager. Once you sit down to eat, cold dishes rotate past constantly on a conveyor belt. We were thrilled by the textures of the melt-on-the-tongue seared beef fillet and the full-flavoured duck rolls with hoi sin sauce. Pan-Asian dishes like chicken and coconut soup – rather like Thai tom kha gai but with more lime – were also skilfully prepared. The bill is added up according to the colour of the cold plates, plus the cost of any hot items from the menu (chicken teriyaki, prawn tempura and the like). Keep an eye on the number of plates as the bill can mount up quickly. Around the City and West End, several Itsu outlets skip the conveyor belt and focus on lunchtime takeaways.

Time Out Eating & Drinking Guide 2009