Bloomsbury, Japanese Restaurant Guide

2022 Review: “Exceptional food every time” and “high-quality and attentive service” inspire early reporters who have visited both of Padam Raj Rai’s duo of ambitious ishiyaki (hence the name), where the serving of certified Kobe beef is a highlight (only eight restaurants in the UK offer it). Also on the menu: top-quality sushi and sashimi and 48-hours marinated black cod. Islington’s Chapel Market branch launched first in August 2020, with a 14-course omakase chef’s table experience (for up to 4 people). Later in 2020, the branch closed and rebranded itself ‘Omakase at Hot Stone’, opening for just 2-3 days per week for 6 people at a time for an ‘Omakase’ (chef’s choice) experience. Despite the travails of the pandemic, in May 2021 Padam opened a second 50-cover sibling in Fitzrovia. The interior of the new branch boasts traditional wooden panelling, accent tiling and artwork by Japanese Edo-period ukiyo-e painter Katsushika Hokusai.

The “reliable, delicious ramen” available at six sites across the capital, offering “tasty twists” on traditional Kyushu-style noodles from former pro cyclist Kazuhiro Kanada, is many people’s favourite Japanese fast-food option. “A newly opened branch in Westfield Shepherd’s Bush, although finding its feet, is still one of the better options for a bite to eat” in the mall.

Back in the day (in 2004), Arjun Waney & Rainer Becker’s successful Japanese fusion-favourite on Charlotte Street helped forge new expectations for fashionable dining out – with its slick combination of sushi, sashimi and robata-grilled items – and “it’s still a winner, even if we have now seen it all before”. Over the years four London siblings have been added, alongside another nine in the eastern Mediterranean and the Gulf. A particular hit with business diners, some reporters visit several times a year, and say “it’s always an enjoyable experience, with delicious options like the black cod, crab gyoza and fillet beef”.

“A reliable option for Japanese food on a budget” – this chain’s “functional decor” “looks and feels authentic”, while the “great, light tempura is always a good indicator of quality” and the sushi and sashimi tend to be “so much better than average”. Service can be “swift”, even “rushed”, and the venues “noisy” and “crowded because of the exceptional value” – but they’re “deservedly popular to eat in or take away”. Top Menu Tip – they sometimes have sea urchin, a real delicacy.

“Sometimes it just has to be ramen”, and this group from Japan Centre owner Tak Tokumine provides noodles and broth that are “consistent, quick”, “high-quality and very reasonably priced” – “service isn’t amazing but the food makes up for it”. The 12-hour tonkotsu pork broth is a speciality of Hakata, Tak’s home district of Fukuoka city on the island of Kyushu.

Noisy izakayas in Fitzrovia and Covent Garden from the Bone Daddies group, “serving a good range from the stickier and more crowd-pleasing end of Japanese cuisine”, along with “tasty pan-Asian small plates including their signature bao buns”. Top Menu Tips – “great yakitori, lovely beef-fat chips”.

Noisy izakayas in Fitzrovia and Covent Garden from the Bone Daddies group, “serving a good range from the stickier and more crowd-pleasing end of Japanese cuisine”, along with “tasty pan-Asian small plates including their signature bao buns”. Top Menu Tips – “great yakitori, lovely beef-fat chips”.

2024 Review: From the team behind Islington’s Hot Stone, this February 2023 newcomer is a re-imagining of their Fitzrovia site, which previously traded as Rai and with a not-completely-dissimilar format. The cuisine is ‘contemporary Japanese’ in style, with sushi, sashimi and Kagoshima wagyu beef, chosen omakase-style for each diner and served in a presentation box.

This Muswell Hill two-year-old serves an “impressive variety of delicious Japanese dishes”, covering most of the bases: “sushi, wagyu and more”, all “so fresh and tasty”. The “very pleasant decor” is modern and restrained. A second branch opened in Covent Garden in late 2024 (no reports as yet). Top Menu Tip – they even serve a ‘Muswell Hill Roll’ with crab stick, avocado and salmon.