Kenichi's review of Aqua Kyoto

Being from Tokyo, we simply cannot find any contemporary Japanese restaurants in London that is anything like the hip dining bars we have at home. So we went to aqua kyoto with no expectations. Our receptionist led us to a black door that silently slid open to reveal a fantastic bar with hanging charcoal beads and a rectangular open sushi kitchen and sumibiyaki (charcoal) grill ! It would have been too much to expect the traditional shout of “irrashaiimase!” (welcome) from the chefs as the place was packed with diners. (To be fair most of the cool places in Tokyo don't do that either these days.)
The place immediately caught our attention and being typically Japanese, we all looked closely at the sushi cases to check the quality of their sashimi. They all looked impressively fresh although the variety of seafood is not as extensive as what we have at home. We did see one largest selection of taraba crab claws and fatty tuna in London – that was a good sign!
The menu was not huge and we were fortunate to have one of the Japanese waitresses recommend aqua kyoto's signature dishes. We highly recommend the spinach in sesame sauce, the tataki beef starter with chives (and also garlic crisps?). The beef was seared to perfection accompanied by a Japanese citrus (ponzu) dressing. We had some of the best sushi ever when their signature tataki sushi platter came (we decided against the "innovative sushi platter). These were different types of sushi surrounded by Japanese cucumber carpaccio. The clean taste of the cucumber helped clean the palate and allowed us to enjoy the quality of the sashimi. There were 2 pieces of each sushi so I was not able to taste them all but the verdict from our Japanese group was that the foie gras and the spicy tuna belly were outstanding. We also had the taraba crab tempura – Alaskan crab leg meat rolled in nori in a light tempura batter that melted in our mouth without being greasy or tasting of too much batter (quite a feat to achieve in London even in traditional Japanese restaurants). The crab tempura was served with carb miso paste and green tea salt. The silky black cod in white miso was also outstanding – not too dry or sweet with the right amount of white miso paste. Leave room for green tea tiramisu.
Overall the experience was simply fantastic for the quality of the sashimi, sushi, tempura and the really reasonably priced wine list – house wine for £16?! (not sure whether that will stay low for long?). Service is not what we have in Tokyo but nevertheless good (they knew their food) and the place was very busy. We could tell the staff were trying very hard. I'm sure they will sort that out soon. Highly highly recommended!