Nine Elms, Japanese Restaurant Guide

This 15-strong London noodle chain (now with branches in Brighton, Birmingham and Bristol) is “a good stand-by” – perhaps it’s “not as good as some of its competitors”, but it is widely seen as “good value”: in particular “the lunch-time meal deal” is a winner.

Near the new American Embassy in Nine Elms, this modern izakaya opened in September 2022 and is the creation of Singapore-born Lynus Lim (ex-The Laughing Heart) and Chase Lovecky (formerly of The Clove Club). Foodwise, it’s a bit of a mashup, aiming to ‘highlight Japanese cookery techniques whilst engaging the micro-seasonality of produce from the British Isles’. Most reports say the result is “a super newcomer with really enjoyable food showing great balance of flavours and representing value for money”. On the downside, there’s the occasional view that “though good it’s been very hyped up and some dishes work better than others (a bit overcomplicated)”.