Naked Japan, Albert Park, Melbourne

Unagi don

Misuzu's up the road may look the part, with its coloured lanterns bobbing prettily in the treetops, but the prices have soared through the roof.  So on a balmy summer's evening,  crack open an Asahi just down the road, in the far more laid back Naked Japan.

This is not gourmet, and the chopsticks may not be as shiny as those at Misuzu's. But its reasonable quality at "cheap eats" prices. The unagi (eel) sparkles in a saucy glaze, filling the mouth with oily freshness, and although there's a little too much dressing on the seaweed and sesame salad,  hotpots of beef are big, rich and soothing, tempura is light and crisp and udon noodle soups come steaming and loaded up with goodness. 

Seaweed salad

True, this is not one to cross town for, but if you're after a decent casual midweeker on the shady streets of Albert Park, a stones throw from the beach, you won't find much better value around. Service is always sweet, and it's BYO.

Kyashii, Covent Garden

Dragon roll (left) and spicy tuna roll (right)

When you're invited to review a restaurant, one of the dangers is that you might not like it and will wind up feeling like the rude guest at a dinner party: "Thanks for everything, Madge, but the steak was overcooked and what's with the Gravox?". Another nightmare is that one of your favourite restaurant critics comes out and slams the place shortly before your dinner date. If you don't agree, you risk looking like you've sold out for a free dragon roll.

And then that little voice that is the calming inner TPG in my head tells me not to think so much - just go, eat, write what you think. Oh. But of course.

Kyashii is like a space ship. A space ship with fish tanks. It's ultra modern and white and smooth and shiny and bright. You would be forgiven for wearing sunglasses at the table - and it's the kind of place where people probably do. Some will love the design, others will hate it. It's not really my thing, but it might be yours.

Marina O'Loughlin was scathing about the service last month. And her report clearly did the job - someone at Kyashii has issued some seriously stern orders to get the troops into line. As soon as I enter (2 hours ahead of when I am expected due to a mix up about the booking time) I am greeted by big smiles and warm welcomes. This is a different planet from the treatment Marina received earlier.

Pork gyoza

As invited guests, The London Foodie and I are given excellent, knowledgeable service all night - as you would expect. However, everyone seems to get a friendly greeting and waiters are evenly stationed around the place to watch for attention needing moments. There's still a weak link or two among the assortment of service staff, but things have clearly stepped up quite a few notches. The barman upstairs is genuinely friendly and fun - and makes a mighty fine lychee martini (and yes, I can also vouch for the watermelon and raspberry champagne cocktail), if you're in the market for a frilly drink on your way in.

Seafood tartare with truffle oil

Down in the restaurant, minced pork gyoza (4 pcs, £4.80) are plump and juicy, and the enticing smell of the truffle oil on a mixed seafood tartare (£9) wafts gloriously towards us before we see it coming. I am wary that the truffleyness might overpower the seafood, but the silky texture and creamy luxuriousness of the fish works well with the sensual pleasures of the heady truffle oil.

Scallop carpaccio

Next up, the scallop carpaccio with fresh mango and strawberry and yuzu dressing (£11) - it looks like Jackson Pollack has been at work, but I love fresh, raw scallops and these beauties are hard to criticise. The dish works well with the tangy yuzu.

Kushiyaki skewers

A selection of kushiyaki skewers (ranging from £4 - £5.50 for 2) includes salmon, unagi eel, yakitori chicken and, my favourite, the shiitake mushrooms. Most are fairly average, but the smoky shiitake mushrooms are the highlight.

Lobster tail tempura

The long 8 piece dragon roll (£13.50) contains a tempura prawn wrapped in thinly sliced avocado. I have been disappointed by dragon roll before (everywhere that has it always recommends it as their "must have" dish, and Kyashii is no different, but they usually leave me wondering what all the fuss was about). This one, however, hits the mark - it's elegant with a lovely deep savouriness that reminds me of a smoky green tea. It does have a bit of an X factor. The spicy tuna roll (8pcs, £11) with minced tuna, spring onion and spicy mayonnaise is also good.

Kyashii tempura

The Kyashii tempura (£16) is a bountiful selection of light and crispy king prawn, squid, white fish, aubergine, shiitake mushroom and sweet potato. It's light and crisp, with good quality fillings cooked adeptly. Same goes for the luxurious lobster tail tempura with green tea powder (£18.50).

Beef fillet with dynamite sauce

From the main course selection, we share the grilled black cod fillet with saikyo miso marinade (£22) and the pan fried beef fillet steak strips with "dynamite" mustard sauce, served with shredded dried chilli and lotus root chips (£18). I really enjoy the cod, but find the steak completely overpowered by the blast of dense, hot mustard sauce.

Banana and chocolate spring roll

Cheese cake

For dessert, the banana and chocolate spring roll is disappointing - doesn't ring my bell at all, despite reading like the perfect combo of sake-soaking fare. But the zingy, creamy passionfruit cheesecake is absolutely lovely. I didn't really peruse the wine list, sticking to some excellent sakes (including a cloudy, unfermented one) which, from memory, seemed reasonably priced.

Make no mistake - Kyashii is not cheap. However, you could eat amply for around £40-£50 per head plus drinks/service. Some of the more fru fru embellishments don't always work out, but other dishes are right on the money. Just don't forget your shades.

Kyashii, 4a Upper St Martins Lane, Covent Garden, London WC2H 9NY  (Tel: 020 7836 5211)

Greedy Diva was a guest of Kyashii.

Satori Robata, Knightsbridge

Chirashi sushi box

For overpriced, bland sushi, look no further than Satori Robata in Knightsbridge.

I paid £16 for a Groupon voucher entitling 2 people to eat £40 worth of food and drink £5 worth of green tea or soft drinks. Groupon vouchers are great for facials and massages, where I have a theory that even a bad one is a good one. The risks are greater when it comes to haircuts and restaurants.

It's a small thing, but the stools are so clunky and heavy that I struggle to manouvre into position to get me within comfortable striking range of my food. Diners face the open kitchen, while peering over a depressing conveyer belt as tired looking sushi rolls and limp morsels of prawn do the rounds on repeat. Fairly rank green tea comes in the form of a mug with a tea bag draped in it.



Miso cod


The miso cod isn't bad although it's puny and there are some serious bones lurking in there. It comes with a side salad of lettuce and cherry tomato with a nice sesame dressing, as well as some pickled ginger and a tiny but tasty enough splodge of fairly standard potato salad.  However, at over £19 the quality and quantity are not there.

The chirashi sushi box (£16.95) is a haphazard scattering of sliced salmon, tuna, sea bass and fish roe atop a plentiful serving of rice. While it should have a firm texture, the seabass is largely chewy sinew, and all 3 types of fish lack any memorable flavour. There are no melt in the mouth moments here.

It's all fairly charmless and there's a complete lack of atmosphere. Before I sit down, I am politely requested (as are all customers) to vacate my seat after 1 hour during the busy voucher period. I happily oblige.

For great sushi and sashimi, try Kikuchi in Fitzrovia, or have a good quality bargainous meal at Yoshino off Piccadilly.

Satori Robata, 28-30 Knightsbridge, London SW1X 7JN (Tel: 020 7235 1943)

Yoshino, Soho/Mayfair

A quick shout out for Yoshino, secretively tucked away off the Piccadilly main drag.

The menu changes monthly. We tried the Yoshini Zen Yuki set meal for £9.80 – grilled crispy skinned mackerel (just watch out for the bones), 3 fresh tuna rolls, sashimi salad in wasabi miso dressing, crunchy green bean and sesame salad, sunomono (a thinly sliced salad of radishes marinated in rice vinegar), potato salad, pickles and home made miso soup. All were presented in 3 shiny, lacquer boxes lined up across the table. For £9.80, this was an absolute bargain. Alternatively, fried chicken or fried tuna are offered in place of the mackerel.

Colourful sushi and sashimi platters range from around £16 - £30 and we also witnessed some fantastic looking tempura dishes (ranging from £3.80 - £11.80).

If you work nearby, this would be a great option for the super cheap lunch time deals starting at around £5.80. Or they do take away.

The interior is a bit sterile upstairs, but full of happy customers, even on a Monday night. I prefer the ground floor sushi bar which has more character. Service is friendly and unobtrusive, and the ambience is unpretentious and casual.

Yoshino also has a store, Delicatessen Yoshino, which sells fresh sushi at 59 Shaftesbury Avenue (near Chinatown).

Thanks to Jen for the recommendation!

Yoshino, 3 Piccadilly Place, W1J OBD (Tel: 020 7287 6622)

Koya: Udon noodle specialist in Soho

I love New York. I love the way it's at the forefront of all the best (and worst) food fads the world has to offer, the way the city buzzes with fabulous restaurants both new and old, the fact you can get a superb steak or burger (or anything else) on just about any block, and the way that all the city's inhabitants are completely obsessed with good food and eating out. One thing New Yorkers are already right on to is a good bowl of noodles.

Koya reminds me a lot of New York - and it's not just the hungry mob of noodle lovers winding down Frith Street to its understated shop front that does it.

Koya is New York good, it's Tokyo good - it leaves the noodles you know from Wagamama for dead. And it's right in the heart of London.

In Japan, restaurants specialise in only 1 thing until they perfect it - you don't go for the best sushi at the same place you get your world beating tempura. And if noodles are the thing, they'll specialise in only 1 type of noodle to the point of mastery, be it udon, ramen or soba. In this spirit, Koya specialises in udon noodles in basic, canteen style surrounds. Its udon - fat, white, wheat noodles - are made fresh daily in the traditional way - by foot.

The cold udon with hot beef broth (hiya atsu) are divine. The noodles are served, topped with shredded nori (seaweed), on a traditional bamboo mat on the side of a steaming hot bowl of broth, laden with delicate slices of beef and spring onion. It's hearty, slurpy and bursting with flavour, while the noodles are satisfyingly supple. I'm going to find it hard to order something different on my next visit.

The Peanut Gallery's cold, wriggly udon with a light tempura (on the side) and a delectable dashi dipping sauce are also good, although I don't think the tempura is the best thing on offer.

We share a tasty side dish of slippery, marinated mushrooms (kinoko tsukudani).

There are also cold udon with cold broth or dipping sauce for pouring over (hiya hiya) and hot udon with hot broth (atsu atsu). You can add onsen tamago (a slow cooked egg), flaky sprinkles of tempura and other bits and pieces. We're looking forward to going back and working our way through the menu - if we can beat the queues.

Chewy, slurpy and delicious. And at around a very reasonable £15 per head, what's not to love? Let's hope this is the start of a good thing - more places like Koya in London.

Koya, 49 Frith Street, Soho, London W1D 4SG (www.koya.co.uk)

Hashi - Japanese Cookery Courses

I'm currently reading yet another fabulous book by food and travel writer Michael Booth, this time about culinary travels in Japan ("Sushi and Beyond - What the Japanese Know About Cooking" ). In between the laughs, it only serves to reinforce how much the cooking of Japanese food is still shrouded in mystery for many of us - and the fact that Japanese restaurants tend to specialise, to the point of mastery, in only one type of food (go here for your udon noodles, and somewhere else for your perfect ramen, sushi or tempura) makes the thought of polishing one's kitchen chopsticks seem a daunting task.

This only makes Reiko Hashimoto-Lambert's Hashi Japanese Cookery Courses all the more satisfying. In her straightforward, down to earth style, Reiko has been teaching Japanese cooking in England for over 10 years, and did so before that in Tokyo. She has appeared as a guest on Saturday Kitchen, and is currently writing a cookbook (has anyone else noticed the dearth of accessible, decent Japanese cook books, beyond Wagamama's Westernised account)?

I recently attended a class at Hashi, which was an amalgam of Hashi's Beginners and Advanced classes. The session was a well balanced mix of demonstration and hands on practice, and class sizes are small enough (there were 7 people in mine) to get some much needed personal attention and a good view of the stove top.

Reiko guided us through the making of a mouthwatering beef tataki with creamy sesame sauce - so delicious, but deceptively easy, this would definitely impress the dinner party guests.

We then rolled up our sleeves to make some pork and seafood gyoza, artfully mastering the delicate folding of the gyoza wrappers. Mine went from ugly duckling to beautiful swan surprisingly quickly, but there's definitely a trick to them that requires expert guidance and hands on practice to avoid the elephant man effect.

Reiko's signature dish, scallops with creamy spicy sauce on sushi rice followed next (a more advanced dish, but still most definitely achievable in the home kitchen) and then some gorgeous cold soba noodles with spicy aubergine. Oh, how I love a good bit of aubergine.

All was, of course, eaten on beautiful Japanese plates and bowls - because a chipped white plate (a la Chez Greedy Diva) just won't do for the Japanese.

Reiko's Saturday classes run from 11am - 3pm and cost £120. She is also running an evening canape class for £70, and her 4 class courses - some for beginners, and others becoming more gourmet right up to "Master Chef" level - are £240. You'll pick up lots of tips and tit-bits along the way which will help demystify Japanese cooking, and over the full set of courses you would be well on your way to having a full repertoire of dishes under your sushi belt to replicate at home. Above all, the class has inspired me to be more adventurous in the kitchen, putting Japanese cooking more squarely in my comfort zone. Bring out the dashi, baby.

While Japanese ingredients can be difficult to source, I heartily recommend the new and improved Japan Centre on Lower Regent Street (they even sell fresh wasabi root). Reiko also supplies a long list of suppliers to her course participants.

Hashi, Japanese Cookery Courses, 60 Home Park Road, Wimbledon, London SW19 7HN (Tel: 020 8944 118) www.hashicooking.co.uk

I attended the Hashi cookery class as a guest of Hashi, as organised by The London Foodie, along with other guests The Wine Sleuth, Gourmet Chick, Tamarind and Thyme, Kavey Eats and Gastro Geek.

Kikuchi – Again. A second bite

It was rather remiss of me not to try the sashimi at the time of my first review of Kikuchi. Please excuse me. But the time has come to share the good word.

Kikuchi has now become a regular haunt when we crave good, local Japanese food. Or the bustling atmosphere of Tokyo. Or a night on the sake.

So, we’ve been diligently saving up our vouchers from each visit (£5 for every £50 you spend) and recently had a big blow out which the neighbours of Hanway Street are still talking about.

So, I won’t rave on (and on...) (again...) about Kikuchi (see my earlier review for more details). But I will say there’s a big difference between bad sushi and good sushi. This stuff’s good. The happy hoards of Japanese business men crowding the room are a testament to the fact. Sit in front of the cartoon character-like sushi bar man, knock back some sake or Japanese beers and watch as the chef’s selection of deliciously fresh slithers of fish, lush flavours, and slippery smooth textures are lavished up on you. Bless him.

The nasu dengaku (aubergine grilled with miso sauce) is another essential for us. The miso caramelises in the grilling process over the smoky aubergine – scoop it out, sit back and luxuriate in the sweetness. If you don’t normally like aubergine, this is the one to convert you.

And I always like to finish off with some cold buckwheat noodles (soba) which come with a side of spicy dipping sauce (often bland, but delectable here). There are reportedly over 30,000 soba restaurants in Japan. Soba noodles have been eaten in Japan for over 400 years, and it is a distinguished Japanese art to perfect them so they stay firm, slippery and intact. Close your eyes, slurp loudly and wallow in the traditions behind your feast.

It’s all wonderful, and you’ll even feel healthy* when you finish (*depending on beer consumption).

Book ahead, and don’t forget the £20 minimum food spend (plus drinks/service).

Kikuchi, 14 Hanway Street, London W1T 1UD

Kikuchi: Fitzrovia, London

Despite, or maybe because of, the dark and eery countenance of the sordid little laneway that is Hanway Street, I never fail to have a good time there. Tucked away discreetly in the midst of it all is Kikuchi - a Japanese restaurant that, with one peek in the window, we dared to dream might be something along the lines of which we had not encountered since our trip to Tokyo early last year.

It's small and basic, but jam packed with tables full of Japanese businessmen eating fresh sashimi and knocking back the sake like it's going out of style. We enter to cries of "Hirashaimaseeee" and a room buzzing with atmosphere. The sushi chef, with his carefully sculpted mo and sidies, works rapidly and ceaselessly at the counter, while the waitresses offer that amazingly friendly "can't do enough for you" service that is rarely seen outside of Japan. But just what do they cry out incessantly to each other, even when no-one seems to register a reaction??

Both the atmosphere and food are more authentic than anything I've found in London to date (noting I haven't yet been to Sushi-Hiro, which I've been hankering to try out - it recently won a Bib Gourmande in the UK 2010 Michelin Guide). At Kikuchi, there's a £20 per head minimum food spend, which means it's not exactly a cheap eats night out once you factor in the obligatory Japanese beers and sake, but on looking around at the food being delivered to nearby tables we were sufficiently caught up in the whirl of our new find and ready to take it on. And, given the quality, it turned out to be good value.

The waitress suggested sushi and sashimi are the house specialities. We didn't try them this time, but (we didn't realise at the time) Jay Rayner reviewed Kikuchi just a few weeks ago [GD: It's 2010 - his review was actually Jan 2009 - blonde moment] and raved about its sushi. It doesn't surprise me. Everything we ate was outstanding.

A little, freebie vegetable potato salad got the stomach juices flowing right from scratch. Our first starter, raw scallops with a smooth, sweet ginger sauce balanced beautifully with the seaweed and pickled vegetables around it. There was already a temptation for The Peanut Gallery and I to high five each other's chopsticks at this point.

Our prawn tempura was perfectly executed - light and crispy batter, with big, flavoursome, juicy prawns wrapped up inside. Another side of grilled eel with a cucumber and sesame salad in a sweet soy-like sauce was also excellent.

The grilled salmon skins with spring onion and radish was lush and crispy, while our chicken yakitori skewers were mouth wateringly tasty.  We finished off with the chicken and vegetable hot pot - a clear, light broth with outstandingly tasty chicken pieces, delicious chicken "rissole" type balls, silky tofu, cabbage and spring onion.

Our food bill came to £42, although we would order more next time (we had initially set out for a light meal). TPG declared it - when we come back again (oh, we will be back) it will be hard not to order the exact same dishes. They were all fantastic.

But I really do want to try the sashimi bar. And I want to see how the festivities end up for all those hard core, sake drinking folk around me. If you love the food in Tokyo, I suggest you'll find this one's a winner.

[Postscript: I have since gone back (many times...) and reviewed the sashimi - see here.]

Kikuchi, 14 Hanway Street, London W1T 1UD

Beard Papa, Soho (London)

I had never before seen a grown man thrust his entire head into a pastry. Then came the day The Peanut Gallery discovered Beard Papa. Since then, I swear I am sometimes woken up at 4am as Peanut fitfully shakes his head from side to side in his sleep, burrow frowed, muttering "Beard Papa, Beard Papa....".

Beard Papa is a Japanese bakery which specialises in cream puffs. It started out in Osaka in 1997, and like all good Japanese fads, has spread around the world. Specifically, in our case, it is conveniently positioned at the scraggly end of Oxford Street in London.

Its cream puffs are billowing clouds of creamy-custardy heaven.  They look a bit like giant profiteroles with custard cream overflowing from the edges. Decadent and delicious, they are the perfect dirty little secret.

The custard cream is more creamy than eggy - lightened by fresh cream and made delectable by vanilla bean. All this whipped up creamy goodness is encrusted in a puffy layer of choux pastry. Scrumptious.

There are ever changing flavours of the day, like green tea and chocolate. But I'm a traditionalist when it comes to custard cream (and creme brulee) so nothing will ever surpass the rapture of the original vanilla puff. Oh, they sell other things too. But when you can see your cream puff being freshly made, and a never ending stream of cream is squirted in before your eyes, there really is no other option.

Cream puffs are £1.30 (plus an extra 10p for the flirtatious flavour of the day). A tad hefty for a puff, but totally worth it if you want to come over to my place and see a grown man diving head first into one.

Beard Papa, 143 Oxford Street, Soho, London W1D 2JB

Bincho Yakitori, Soho (London)

When dining Tokyo, it is traditional to be greeted as you walk in the door by an entire roomful of waiters with an enthusiastic "IrasshaimaSEEEEEE!!". It is important that you anticipate this welcome and the significant volume at which it is shrieked (1) to avoid a frequent change of underwear, and (2) to fully appreciate the level of service provided by Japanese dining establishments, where the customer is truly king.

Bincho Yakitori brings a Londonised Japanese izakaya experience to Soho. In Tokyo, izakayas are usually fun little bars closeted away behind unlabeled doorways in dark, forbidding alleys or among the murky depths of the underground metro system. Climb a narrow staircase and you will find yourself sitting before a grill drinking Sapporo beers and watching your dinner being charcoaled to perfection by a man in a bandana.

Bincho brings the flavours, style and the cooking prowess to Soho, but its brazen location on busy Old Compton Street (formerly in the Oxo Tower) and its less intimate setting detract from the full authenticity of the experience. However, while we didn't have the living daylights scared out of us by the traditional welcome greeting, our waitress was helpful and absolutely lovely. We entrusted her with the pivotal task of selecting our copious supply of dishes for the evening.

And so this became the story, not of Tokyo, but of an American, 3 Dutch persons, 2 Australians and an Englishwoman in London. An introduction that sounds like it needs a punchline (what, no Irishman?), but the tale is serious one of feasting on the good stuff and swilling our sake to excess.

Yakitori are grilled chicken skewers, while kushiyuku cover all other skewer varieties. Generally, they are cooked with salt and lemon, or a tasty "tare" sauce (comprised of sake, mirin, soy and sugar) which they are dipped into during the grilling process.

Our delicious array included pork belly (fatty goodness), tebasaki (this may be the only time I will ever recommend chicken wings), aigamo (duck breast, spring onion and wasabi - yes, lovely), salmon, cherry tomato and bacon, chicken and bacon, gorgeous perfectly grilled asparagus, and giant eringi mushrooms which were so scrumptious that, if a mushroom could ever beat a piece of meat, might even have been my favourite dish.

The only oddity arrived in the form of the yuba salad consisting of spinach leaves, grated cheese (or was this the yuba? - dried bean curd) and bacon. Call it what you will, it was basically a caesar salad.

Along with a constant supply of moreish edamame, Asahi beers, a flask of sake (for Greedy) and an impressive flow of wine bottles, we also shared some scrumptious rice bowls - tori yaki meshi - rice with chicken and mushroom (silky and nutty flavoured).

The Greedy Diva always finds the atmosphere is somewhat lost when one moves away from sitting at the bar, gullet poised near the grills, in establishments such as this. However, it's just not feasible for large groups and unfortunately we were down in the dungeon next to the loos. This is my only real criticism of the place (apart from the offending salad), which appears tiny from the street but seems to have lots of hidden pockets in which to sup. If I was going again, I would try to nab a seat at the bar or a table upstairs, although if you have enough sake and lovely food, it doesn't really matter.

I had walked past Bincho before and wasn't overly drawn to it. So thanks Ray, my trusty Tokyophile, for the tip!  Arigatoo GozaimashiTAAAA!

Bincho Yakitori, 16 Old Compton Street, Soho, W1D 4TL