MissSushi's Reviews

A lot of restaurants that have been around for decades never change their menus and so retain only older patrons. Without new generations of diners sooner or later a restaurant dies. Ten years ago I thought that was exactly what was going to happen to Kai, but I was fortunately wrong. Kai has always been a traditional high end chinese restaurant, but they have been brave and adventurous enough to grow with time and adapt their menu to all, without compromising their chinese roots. Instead they adapt foreign or unusual ingredients to support and complement the flavour of the dishes. Sometimes service can be a little slow and the decor is terribly dated, but the food is always consistent. I strongly recommend fellow diners to try the wasabi prawns, the abalone dish and the lobster noodles.

I have never been to South Korea, neither am I an expert on Korean food, but I always enjoyed my lunches and dinners at Kaya. The first time I ate there was out of curiosity, but I discovered that once wasn't enough. The staffs' english isn't perfect, but they are very hospitable and accomodating and whenever I asked to be brought a suggestion I was left full and satisfied. My favourites include Bibimbap – which is not only fun to say but also to eat. It's a complete meal consitent of several dishes that one mixes & matches. It starts with clear soup, kimchi & pickles followed by the main: hot korean egg fried rice, raw or cooked beef mince, lots of vegetable & exotic mushrooms and a chillie sauce with sesame oil that you all mix togther as you please (the raw mince gets slightly cooked through the rice). I also enjoy Sinseollo, a brass hot pot in the middle of the table with seafood and/or meats and lots of different vegetables that you cook and arrange yourself. Kaya and korean food in general is great for small groups who like to share and interact with their food.

The experience of Sake no Hana starts weirdly: one is forced onto an escalator as if shopping at a department store. Then, once inside the restaurant, there is a lot of wood and it is rather pleasant, but enough with designblabla, let's talk about the food. The menu is very different from any japanese restaurant that I have ever eaten at – including the ones in Japan. There is very little way in knowing how much you are ordering as some dishes are great for 2 or even 3 people sharing while others aren't even enough for one. The sashimi (hamachi, scallop, o-toro) was very good, but cut too thinly. The chilean seabass was delicious, the black cod rice far too sweet and the grilled yellowtail unfortunately dry. We also ordered one of the waguy beef dishes (the small one) which arrived in a little pot with carrots (?), potatoes (??) and some strange jellyfied stock cubes (???) – bizarre and not at all complementary to the tender beef. One thing stands out though: the sake list. It's incredible, they even offer sparkling sake (which I really liked – but maybe because I tasted other 2 types of sake beforehand). Service was overall friendly and helpfull, although I waited 10 minutes for a little wasabi. However, I am going back to eat more raw fish as I want to give Sake No Hana the benefit of doubt.

I dined at L'Atelier and it was a very pleasant experience. The restaurants layout is unusual, the bar is very sexy with dark wood and deep reds surrounding a cosy fireplace. The dining rooms are casual-trendy with high sitting bars and tables and most decorations on walls, bars and tables are made out of food. We decided to have the tasting menu which was indeed very tasty. A combination of french classics, with the occasional spanish (jamon and pan y tomate) guest-dish or japanese ingredient (seaweed). The hot foie gras was most probably the most delicious I have ever had – slightly seared and smoky on the outside and creamy like butter on the inside. The lamb cutlets were too one of our favourites – tender, pink and juicy and the chocolate sensation dessert was scrumptious. The wines that came, were matched nicely with most courses and complimented them well, although I did not drink the dessert wine. Just make sure you do not eat anything that day because the dishes can be somewhat heavy.

UMU is authentic in it's Kyoto-style Kaseiki dining in the middle of London. Many small portioned dishes are seasonally selected and beautifully presented for the patron (me) to sample various raw fish varieties and rare japanese specialties (like Zuma this restaurant offers fresh grated wasabi) some of which are imported directly from Japan. I had the delicious experience of eating my way through the Kaseiki Menu, complimented by sake and my favourites were the hamachi, o-toro, the lobster and the waguy beef dish. It is expensive, but the price is justified as this is the only authentic Japanese high end restaurant in London (probably in Europe) that does not get seduced by fusion fashion. For adventurous diners as the menu is very raw.