Restaurants

This bright and orderly establishment just off Regent Street is deservedly full most nights, abuzz with mainly Western diners and the diligent ministrations of many chefs and servers. You don’t have to wait long for service when the staff-to-customer ratio is so high. Plain cream walls, black slate accents and stylish air-con ovoids suspended from the ceiling don’t fit the description of a typical Japanese tavern, but the menu explains Chisou’s hybrid identity: ‘traditional dishes with a modern twist, served izakaya style’. From various salt-grilled fish, superior sushi, tempura and noodles to lesser-spotted zensai such as buta bara kimuchi (stir-fried pork belly with garlic and chilli-pickled chinese leaves) and intriguing specials like asari no sakémushi (saké-steamed clams) – the choices here are plentiful and delicious, but watch out for sizeable price tags. Some are understandable; a special of tarabagani yaki (grilled giant crab leg, £14) is always going to be expensive. But why does simple inaniwa udon (thin white noodles served with wasabi, ginger, spring onion and tempura crumbs) cost so much over the odds at £12.50?

Time Out Eating & Drinking Guide 2008