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Japanika

10 Hanbury Street, E1 6QR Full details & map

Café: Japanese

Time Out says Rate it

By Kei Kikuchi Posted: Feb 25 2010

Japanika generates a surprisingly wide array of Japanese food and drink for a tiny triangle of a café that could seat up to eight but looks more likely to rely on takeaway trade. Surprises include being able to choose between three flavours of miso soup (£1.95), even shiitake; spinach goma-ae and own-made pickled daikon slivers with lemon zest; and beverages ranging from Coke to Calpico to Chegworth Valley juices.

The food is great whether you go for raw or cooked - a salmon selection box of maki, nigiri and sashimi or a chicken katsu curry donburi. Especially tasty and very good value is the eight-segment £3.50 scallop-and-avocado roll sprinkled with togarashi (Japanese chilli pepper).

No thought has been spared on the design either, with a simple but effective silhouette of a kimono-clad girl with parasol and drifting blossoms on the left and a grooved white wall on the right which mirrors the miniature Zen raked-sand garden sunk into the counter between two tills.

A little gem that compensates in a small but elegantly formed way for the recent demise of Rossi's caff next door. NB: weekend opening is planned 'in the near future'.

Tags: Asian, Japanese, East, Spitalfields, Budget, Café

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Japanika details

Address

Japanika

10 Hanbury Street E1 6QR

Transport Aldgate East tube, Liverpool Street tube/rail or bus 67

Japanika website

Open 10am-5pm Mon-Fri

Meal for two with soft drinks: around £15

Japanika map

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Comments & ratings

By melanie - Oct 20 2010

this is my favourite takeaway japanese place outside of japan! i work close by and it regularly breaks my money saving promises to myself regarding not buying lunch out, it is so tasty!

the vegetable udon is fantastic, as are all the smaller dishes. not tried the bentos myself but they get good reviews from my colleagues, the sushi is good value and far better quality than the larger takeaways.

only negative - the noodle soups aren't hot enough, not an issue for me as i take it back to the office and microwave it, but a pain if you want to eat immediately.

it is very much a takeaway though - queues do get out the door at lunchtime (although they are very quick at serving) - i wouldn't recommend it for a sit down meal.

it's not great for veggies, but authentic japanese food never is.

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By bob - Jun 26 2010

I agree the salads are really not good no vegetarian option and the people are rude. The selection in all seems drab and there is no energy in this place.
It does not feel right! The curry indeed looked as if it had been on the shelf for a good while as melted boxes dripping water on the top shelf looked like they been microwaved for 3 hours????

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By frank - May 19 2010

I recently been to japanika and have to say the service is terrible.
The waitress do not smile nor speak. They look uneasy and limited with the cuisine they are serving and when asking any questions about the content of rolls they don’t seem to know what exactly is in them.
The atmosphere is stiff and uneasy there are some tables but so low you feel like you are eating from the floor.
The quality has significantly dropped since it first opened. The selection and availability of things are minimal after 1 you can not get the whole range.
The curry I had on my last visit was cold and gloomy not what I had when I went there 2 months ago.
I also had a salad that seemed from the day before yesterday.
My friend had a udon soup which also was freezing inside.
I don’t think this place is as good as it used to be the standard has clearly deteriorated maybe there is a new chef as dishes are significantly different in taste .

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By Teresa - Apr 16 2010

The Chicken Katsu is to die for, fantastic value for money too!

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By sebastian - Apr 13 2010

Japanika a new I would call it a gourmet sushi take away but not your ordinary type!!!
The sushi is amazing there! The rice is so well made not cold and hard!
The seasoning of the rice just rights the ingredients so fresh! This place is sold out at 2 pm wow. The Curry is addiction material!
Most amazing of all though is that a lady sushi chef makes all this.
She is amazing and beautiful! I was so impressed with Japanika and did a little research on this lady and found out that she was the person who breathed life into Tsunami which at the time won so many awards.
We are all tired of all the takeaways feeding us bad sushi and this is not what you can ever find in Japanika! The sushi is top and may I say equal to top Japanese restaurants in London.
I highly recommend this place.
It is just a shame that the tables are sow low in this small shop.