Restaurants

You’ll find some of London’s best contemporary Japanese cuisine here. A meal consists of a series of perfectly formed ‘tapas’ that stand out for their clear, bold flavours. The chef-proprietor is a Nobu alumnus and the influence shows in the house special of ‘tar-tar chips’ (crunchy potato shells filled with salmon and sweet shrimp), or tobiko-topped crab (recalling Nobu’s now-classic tacos). Elsewhere, miso is mingled with truffle, and soy sauce with raspberry. Don’t mistake innovation for reckless rule-breaking though. Crisp-skinned duck breast tataki, with a salsa made from finely chopped shiso and shallot, was difficult to fault, as was squid and natto inside-out maki roll. Pork kakuni, slow-cooked, meltingly soft pork belly in a sweetish soy-based sauce, a riff on Chinese tungpo pork, was stunning. A simple salad of kelp, cucumber, red onion and pea shoots had an unexpected depth of flavours, helped by a smoky, sharp dressing. Western-style puddings are given an eastern twist in desserts such as green tea crème brûlée. Service is sweet and helpful and the surroundings are as surprising as the food. Housed in a genteel townhouse, the tiny basement is full-on modernist.

Time Out Eating & Drinking Guide 2009