Tsunami

Bringing a dash of West End glamour to Clapham North, Tsunami has become a south London mini-destination. From Battersea to Balham, the inhabitants of SW postcodes flock here for upmarket modern Japanese, delivered in dark, swanky surroundings.

Smartly dressed staff bustle around the low-lit, open-plan room, serving WAG favourites (yellowtail sashimi with jalapeño, miso black cod) alongside more everyday options (warm udon noodles, chicken with a wasabi sauce).

Curls of tender salt-and-pepper squid came delicately battered and suspended in an attractive paper cone; six soft-shell crab maki, the limbs hoiked in the air, also combined flavour, texture and visual appeal. Only the salmon teriyaki, with its stingy proportions and insipid marinade, proved a let-down.

On weekend evenings, the tempo goes up several notches, with the small, amber-topped cocktail bar becoming a magnet for dating couples and groups of young professionals, all eager to indulge in a lychee martini or two.

A word of warning, though: at these times, the overspill of noise into the dining room can become well-nigh unbearable. Come summer, the dozen or so alfresco tables, looking on to the railway arches, make a peaceful alternative.