So Japanese

There's no shortage of Japanese restaurants in Soho, but So Japanese stands out for its fusion of European and Japanese ingredients, all presented on attractive ceramics and lacquerware.

In the airy ground-floor dining room, you can sit shoulder to shoulder with other diners at the long wooden sushi counter, or at tables. There's seating downstairs too, where you can watch the chefs at work, though it's a little dark.

For traditionalists, the sushi is excellent: perfectly cooked rice and achingly fresh fish. Tempura - light, crisp batter encasing sweet prawns, seafood or perfectly cooked veg - is another good option. If you fancy something more innovative, try the indulgent, pan-fried foie gras nigiri - popular, though the pan juices made our rice crumble slightly. Barbary duck, smoked in-house with Jack Daniel's wood chips, was silky textured, but too smoky.

The drinks menu shows some imagination, with saké and shochu cocktails complementing the wine and saké list. The somewhat nonchalant service was the only minor let-down in a quality meal.