BTilke

We've got reservations this week for Zuma Restaurant, sitting at the sushi bar. Anyone been there *recently*? How did you like it? Also, any favs from their sake bar?

Our default sushi bar in London is Kiku's on Half Moon Street. It's very plain decor, but the sushi is fresh (I am a yellowtail addict) and the service is friendly. It gets lots of Japanese customers (many from the nearby Japanese Embassy), which we find a reassuring sign.

Any other really good sushi bar recs for London? Thanks.

Kavey

I'm more into sashimi than sushi so I can't comment on the sushi itself but I had marvellous sashimi at the sushi bar in Matsuri - the one I went to was in St James/ Green Park area but there are others in the chain in other locations in London now.

You don't have to be seated in the main restaurant (which offers large open teppan plates for customers to sit around as their meals are cooked) to enjoy the sushi.

Lala8

You cannot go wrong with Zuma. It's one of my favorite restaurants in London. We've been there several times and actually love having long lunches and dinners at the Sushi Bar. The food is light and delicious and the atmosphere is lively and trendy.

Alternatively, you might want to try Roka (same owner as Zuma)-they have a sushi bar-the food is also great and atmosphere is buzzy. It's located on 37 Charlotte Street.

Sorry, I'm not a sake connoisseur! Enjoy!

Kayb95

I'm not a sushi fan, so I can't make any suggestions - but I have a question for you...

How does the Yo Sushi at Selfridge's rate? We've passed by and thought the concept was kind of cool. But is it any good as a place to go for decent sushi?

flanneruk

I'm no sushi expert.

But if Yo Sushi is good by the standards of sushi bars, sushi is spectacularly overrated, and I simply cannot believe 100 million Japanese could be that wrong.

Yo Sushi is, though, pretty good for an instant, reasonably tasty, lunch if you're in a hurry and there isn't a proper dim sum or thali joint handy. At Selfridges, given the grazing you can do from its food hall and the shop's proximity to real restaurants, I can't see the point of Yo Sushi except for a girlie chat.

At Paddington OTOH Yo Sushi is just about the closest thing there is for several hundred yards to real food.

m_kingdom2

Yo Sushi to me is like the Mc Donald's of Japanese cuisine. Also, most people think that sushi is all there is to Japanese food. If I'm honest, sushi is my least favourite "style" of Japanese cuisine. Everything else has much more care, complexity, and concern into its construction - the cooked meats/seafoods are superb, and fragrant.

BTilke

Thanks, Kavey and Lala. I have eaten at the Matsuri in Paris--are they under the same ownership?
Most people I know realize Japanese cuisine embraces more than sushi. But it's sushi that we want next week, so that's why I asked about it.
As for Yo Sushi, it's ok for a quick bite...although we find much better kaiten/kaitan (conveyor belt) sushi back in the Pacific NW (one of the best places for Japanese cuisine outside Japan). But we only eat at the Paddington outlet if we need to pass some time before our train.

Kavey

BTilke, I'm not sure as I hadn't known of any Matsuri in Paris... could be?

BTilke

Well just to report back...we had an excellent meal at Zuma and very helpful, friendly service. We went through a few house cocktails, three different types of sake, a variety of sushi, sashimi and small dishes and a delicious dessert (chawan mushi). A pretty expensive lunch--£210 for two people, but it was a splurge. We enjoyed it so much that we booked a table for dinner in August where we want to try their extensive tasting menu.
Sidebar: afterwards, we crossed the street to check out Harrods--my husband hadn't been there since 1978. The crowds were INSANE. Wall to wall people everywhere, you could hardly move. We picked up some Floris and Roger & Gallet soaps on sale, took a whirl around the food court and bought some steaks to grill on Sunday, then got out of there. The next time I put a foot inside it will be a cold, windy and rainy day in November...

PalQ

Don't know about the sushi quality at Selfridges but i enjoyed looking thru the window from the street and seeing the moving belt carrying the sushi selections by the counter stools for you to pick off. I never saw this type of sushi service before and remarked on it in a previous post and others said it was not uncommon. And it would seem Selfridges would demand a modicum of 'good food' being served in its food halls. But i don't even like good sushi that much.

JudyC

Not about sushi, but for real good Japanese desert/ confectioneries, try the white peach jelly from Minamoto Kichoan (44 Piccadilly, near Royal Academy of Art). They only serve it in the summer, a bit expensive, but most refreshing, do try it.

A (or the only, please no Yo Sushi or Pret or any supermarket) good place for take-away, non expensive sushi is from the basement of Japan Centre (on Piccadilly also, neax to Britishairways), I always pick up couple before heading for Heathrow.

kappa

BTilke, Chawan-mushi is a salty starter dish(at least traditionally in Japan), egg flan steam-cooked in porcelain cup and contains usually shrimps, bamboo shoot, shiitake and other vegies - it has a fine taste (slightly salty and typically of fish stock base) and a favorite dish of mine - so it's a bit unusual for me that you had it as a dessert. Maybe a sweet dessert version of Chawan Mushi invented by the restaurant's chef?

BTilke

Yes--it was a sweet dish made with mango, papaya and pineapple...you can see the full menu on the restaurant's web site...www.zumarestaurant.com