MissSushi's review of Aqua Kyoto

You'd think that London already suffered from an over-saturation of contemporary japanese fusion restaurants, but Aqua Kyoto proves that if you get it right, Londoners will invade.
The venue is black&red chic, it isn't too loud or too bright. In fact the atmosphere is so inviting that you find it hard to leave, helped also by the existance of a roof terrace which allows smokers to smoke without having to stand on some street corner. I'm sure it will be a hit in the summer.
Since we were a large group, we opted for the private dining room, conveniantely located between the bar and the main restaurant, inside a glass cube, so everything was visible and we did not feel excluded. Our waiter was very personable, knowledgeable about the food and overall the service was faultless and friendly. Because we were many, luckily many dishes were ordered. Amongst the usual suspects was a tender not too sweet black cod, which had a delicate charcoal flavour to it, due to a different way of preparation than at Nobu or Zuma. Also recognizeable but perfected to higher standard was a simple spinach roll dish, which we all loved. The tataki sushi platter was light and refreshing, with every piece wrapped individually in cucumber, and the contemporary sushi platter is a must for any raw fish lover. But the outstanding dishes of the night for me were the alaskan king crab tempura and the sea bass with shitake mushrooms and truffle oil, the latter one being especially decadent and sexy tasting.
We finished our meal with some green tea ice cream and yuzu sorbet, which was wonderfully tangy, and the promise to be back soon to taste the rest.