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Please note, Soho Japan has now closed. Time Out Food editors, July 2018.
This is a Japanese restaurant that defies expectations from the moment you walk through the door. Current West End fashion dictates the presence of noren (short Japanese curtains) over the door, married to a cool interior with light wood panelling and paper screens. Here – and there’s no getting away from it – you’re in a curiously shaped Victorian pub that serves Japanese food. Behind the V-shaped bar lurks the kitchen, while diners cram together at pub tables overlooked by vintage beer advertisements that have survived at least three generations of owners. Atmospheric, it’s not. Fortunately, the food is considerably fresher than the decor. On a weekday lunch, we sat elbow to elbow with office workers tucking into the reasonably priced specials that are helpfully tweaked to cater for British tastes (long on salmon and tuna sashimi and sushi, short on sea urchin and raw octopus). Grilled mackerel was juicy and succulent, while the beef in yakiniku don (beef in sauce on rice) was tender and well marinated. A side dish of agedashidofu (deep-fried tofu with sauce and spring onions) was prepared to perfection. At dinner, there’s more emphasis on yakitori and beer than on sushi, which should go better with the surroundings.