Restaurants

Kombu could be described as ‘Japanese-lite’. On our first visit, soon after it opened, we were taken with the range of enticing options. Six months later, the likes of tempura sea urchin had been replaced by a more anodyne menu. The choice of sushi was limited to the usual finny suspects (tuna, salmon, sea bass) while main courses such as fillet steak with ginger, garlic and basil seemed more suited to business diners than food enthusiasts. As the restaurant is near the massive ExCeL exhibition centre, the switch to a conservative approach may have proved necessary. Silken tofu with sesame and miso dressing was pleasant enough, but tuna tataki, quickly seared and seasoned heavily with black pepper, had none of the advertised matsuhisa dressing. ‘Hand-pulled’ noodles with Japanese sausage, prawn, fish cake and chilli paste was so characterless it could have come from a Chinese takeaway. Some effort has gone into giving the interior a stylish look, but service could do with a polish. We were brought the wrong wine (three times) and no effort was made to pace the dishes, which all arrived within five minutes of ordering.

Time Out Eating & Drinking Guide 2009