Sho Foo Doh, 11th March

Starting off with a stall on Chatsworth Road Market, Sho Foo Doh now serves up Hiroshima-style okonomiyako every Thurs – Saturday from the Pacific Social Club in Clapton, and will soon be opening the other nights of the week as well, and serving alcohol too.

But when we went it was BYOB (soft drinks too) and cash only.

We got tuna tartare with quails egg to start which had a really fresh taste, tuna more than competing on flavour with the gochuchang marinade.

I don’t know much about different styles of okonomiyaki but this one seemed to be a thin layer of omelette/pancake with everything else (cabbage, bean shoots, toppings) underneath it, rather than in other places where it is cooked into the pancake and then the noodles and your toppings are added on top. While I enjoyed my okonomiyaki with pork belly and kimchi (minus the anchovies), I definitely did prefer it with everything mixed in. But flavourwise, I couldn't complain - the kimchi had a good fermenty kick and there was just the right amount of Japanese mayo plus plenty of spring onion which I love. I opted for the chilli noodles but they weren't particularly spicy. Overall, decent enough, but not something I would make a special return trip for. 

Wazen, 7th October

As you walk to King’s Cross from Farringdon, Wazen sits unassumingly on a corner in what looks like an old pub. Inside it is understated but warm. They have only just opened and I was invited along to sample some of their dishes and sake. What an absolute treat for me that was.

As with any event involing free food you had to be pretty quick off the mark to actually get any and there were definitely several dishes I didn’t even see until they were half eaten by other people, let along get to try. But what I did try was mostly exquisite. The highlights were far and away the cubes of ever so rare wagyu beef and the spoons of thinly sliced salmon served doused in truffle oil. Simply amazing. I also tried some further cubes of delicate, rare salmon, a cute little ball of rice with a layer of tuna draped over it and a carpaccio of yellowfin with a zingy dressing. Everything practically dissolved in your mouth.

There was also a light and moreish salad, and some fried chicken balls which were my least favourite as, without being able to eat it with the salad and dressing it was served with it was a little dry. However, this was thanks to eating standing up without a plate I think. Served the way it was intended I would give it the benefit of the doubt.

I also tried sake for the first time and I can say that I am a fan! The one they served was quite sweet and very smooth – it sort of reminded me of sherry although not as cloying or heavy. I had two of those, and it worked really well with the fresh fish.

I have to say, the staff serving the food and drinks were very lovely, and I’m not sure if we spoke to the owner or front of house manager at the beginning but he was really helpful in explaining the dishes we managed to try and told us about the different types of sake and which one we were trying (premier made in only a handful of ‘breweries’ in Japan.

An utter delight. I really wish I could have eaten more of their food but that just means I will have to go back! 

Shackfuyu, 4th April

The French toast at Shackfuyu seems to be taking on a life of itself. I have even seen it described as ‘iconic’ and that if you don’t have it when you’re there then you haven’t done Shackfuyu right. So of course we ordered it. And it was good. Really good. I would describe it as like bread and butter pudding but without the annoying raisin bits and condensed into one intense triangle. It is served with matcha green tea ice cream, and while this wasn’t particularly offensive, neither did I enjoy it all that much. I don’t like tea, or green tea, so obviously I’m a little biased. It was smooth and creamy but I thought it left a sort of minerally taste in my mouth I didn’t love. I’d have happily had just vanilla ice cream with it, and for this reason I can’t jump on the hype wagon for this dish.

And the rest? Some really good dishes available here, but overall the restaurant didn’t grab me. A bit like Flesh and Buns, where the food was definitely tasty, I am perhaps a little too cash strapped to fully appreciate it, as to do it right you probably need to not care about how much you’re ordering. I enjoyed what I ate but they were the epitome of small plates – far too tiny to satiate (and I had worked up quite an appetite flinging a pillow around at the International Pillow Fight in Trafalgar Square). The scallops for example sounded delicious, served with a chilli miso butter but we just couldn't justify paying £8 for one!

So I ordered two of the yellowtail sashimi tostada which came with avocado shiso instead. This was light and fresh tasting but mostly tasted of avocado.  

Korean wings in a sticky and zingy sauce were messy and enjoyable and actually not a bad size for a portion. 

The 'prawn toast masquerading as okonomiyaki' however was really quite tiny and disappointing - disappointing because it was a really different way to serve this that I relished eating and I wished there were more of it. I could have handled three times as much, especially once I gave Stephen a bite or two. They were a touch heavy handed on the bonito flakes for my liking but otherwise the Japanese mayo and seaweed flakes made this an improved version of prawn toast.

Stephen had the special of mussels which he wasn’t too fussed about it – he said the broth was a bit thin and bitter.

And finally (well, not finally - that was the French toast) we had some mac and cheese with roe which I avoided. Looking at it now it looks delicious and yet no memory surfaces of me savouring it so didn't make a big impression.

So, the food didn't rock my world probably because what I wanted was a proper dinner rather than a few snacks, and I couldn't afford to do that here. I would happily revisit for a light bite or two before heading out drinking however, just to line my stomach.

Kouzu, 21st January

I’d noticed that this Kouzu restaurant kept popping up in my Twitter and Instagram feed and lots of lovely things were being said about.  So I was more than delighted when I got an email inviting me to come and review the place. Invites are still very much a novelty for me, and they do help me keep the blog going without ending up too much out of pocket.

And, like I said, everything I’d seen so far had been positive, though I didn’t want to read too much in case I formed a view before I went there.

As much as I enjoy the privilege, I do find these things a little awkward. I’ve never been one for much one-on-one attention so I made sure to enquire in advance what the deal was. We were told we could have three courses each plus a drink but in the end we had so much more than that! Much more than we probably would have ordered for ourselves if left to our own devices, but I could see they were keen for us to see what they could do in all areas.

I don’t know what I can say that hasn’t already been said but wow. This place is the business. And they also have quite savvy business sense. January is such a slow month for restaurants and bars as everyone decides to make up for all the money and calories they spent in December. Perfect time to invite a bunch of bloggers in and create a bit of hype then. And they deserve it. They’ve chosen a rather odd location in London to set up – a few minutes’ walk from Victoria station. While this is in fact a nice part of town (as soon as you escape the immediate environs of the station), it’s not really known as a destination for food. But if you’ve got a bit of dosh in your pocket then it is worth coming over to St James to try this place out.

To start we had some sashimi. I had the sea bass with salsa and green pepper sauce, Stephen had the yellowtail with truffle dressing but of course we shared. The truffle in the seabass more like a fragrance than a taste, very delicately done so as not to overpower the fish, giving way to a sweeter taste. I don’t know whethe to attribute that to the shiso, myoga or ponzu! While this dish was perhaps the more exotic I was drawn more to the flavours in mine of lime, micro herbs and pink peppercorns. Both were faultless though.

Next up was a choice of sushi roll (we went with crab) and a Nigiri each. We’d been told the Aburi were their speciality, particularly the toro and the sea bass. We had one each. The difference with the aburi compared to nigiri is that the fish on top is seared with a blow torch. It makes all the difference. Our fantastic waitress explained how we should try to eat it ‘upside down’ so that the garnish and fish touched our tongues first. I’ve never had anything quite like it and I shall never forget the way the smokiness filled my mouth. Amazing.

For our mains, Stephen had the miso cod, and I had the duck breast with sansho (though very tempted by the lamp chops). We weren’t sharing but I did have some of Stephen’s fish. It was exquisite. They marinate in miso for three days resulting in a firm, sweet, almost candied fish with the sharper fennel and celery salad setting this off nicely. My duck was a pretty pink covered with a sticky sweet but peppercorn studded sauce. By the end of this I was stuffed but of course I was going to take advantage of trying their desserts. After savoury food this good, I had to see what they’d do with the sweet stuff.

I had their special which was a celebration of sesame. I love sesame’s sweet and nutty taste and it was put to good use here in ice cream, sesame tuiles and tiny madeira-like cakes. It ticked all the boxes without being too heavy.  Likewise Stephen’s chocolate mousse with an amazing hazelnut ice cream. Indulgent but not heavy and with a slice of chewy, candied orange adding a bit of flair. 

We had a couple of nicely balanced cocktails to accompany our dinner, and we ordered another with our dessert as well. 

The only bad thing I’d have to say about the place is that they say it’s a ‘sharing’ ethos, which basically means they can bring you the food whenever it’s ready rather than together because it is presumed everyone will tuck in at the same time. Normally this doesn’t bother me too much but Stephen was doing a pescetarian month and I had ordered duck. So his miso cod arrived way before mine and apart from having a couple of bites I had to just sit there and watch him eat. Mine literally didn’t come out until he’d finished and then our roles were reversed. So, just something to bear in mind.

The food was not cheap (the miso cod was £28), but they use quality ingredients and, more  importantly, have some inventive and utterly delicious food. Put this on your list for your next special occasion. Or go along and have a few bites of sushi and sashimi as a light dinner without it breaking the bank.