Flesh & Buns Oxford Circus

The second site for this unique take on a Japanese izakaya restaurant finds its home in Fitzrovia, in a much larger space than the Covent Garden original. Guests sit on tightly-packed tables, while there are booths for large groups, or counter seats in front of the open kitchen for solo diners and those looking to get close to the action.

From a varied and tempting menu, start with impressively moreish snacks such as the ‘chips and dip’ which swap out tortilla crisps for chewy rice crackers, dipped in smashed avocado and a spicy tomato jalapeño. Next up, there’s crispy fried squid which is laced with chilli, while indulgent sticky-glazed chicken yakitori skewers offer a reprise from the heat. From the ‘flesh and buns’ section, guests can choose between the likes of duck, rabbit or aubergine, each big enough to share between two. Pile your filling (we opted for the luscious pork belly) into the light and fluffy steamed buns, while washing it all down with cocktails served in quirky vessels, including a porcelain version of a Lucky Cat.

Prefer stronger stuff? There’s a varied selection of sake and Japanese whiskies too. The loud and boisterous atmosphere is buoyed along by playful elements, such as the ‘Press for Pisco’ buttons on every table. Push these and you’ll soon find a mixologist by your side, whipping up a Pisco Sour from a cocktail trolley.

This sense of fun is also seen in the dessert offering, which includes a delicious set of D-I-Y s’mores: passion fruit flavoured marshmallows, sandwiched between Graham crackers and squares of almond chocolate. The fast-paced style of Flesh & Buns won’t be for everyone (and neither will the robust prices), but it’s definitely lots of fun.

For just over five years, Flesh & Buns has been serving up its edgy take on modern, Japanese-inspired dishes, boasting two restaurants in the capital. The brand is known for its feasting-style take on the cuisine which encourages guests to go maximalist when it comes to ordering and enjoying their food. You'll also likely recognise Flesh & Buns' anime branding, which helps curate an immersive feel, and nowhere more than the Oxford Circus branch.

Located just a short walk from Oxford Street, the restaurant isn't quite in the thick of it, while still benefiting from an extremely accessible location. Inside, the space has everything you'd expect from a chic Japanese restaurant with decor that uses natural materials and minimalist furniture, while heroing a glamorous, central bar. The Oxford Street restaurant serves up all of the much-loved, signature dishes, starting with small plates like Korean fried wings and scallop yaki with Amarillo butter and asparagus. When it comes to raw plates and sushi, we like the sound of salmon ceviche with red onions, avocado, bubu arare, red chilli and lime chilli dressing, as well as prawn tempura and the avocado miso with asparagus, carrot pickle and barley miso.

Now, it wouldn't quite be Flesh & Buns without some flesh in buns, would it? On the large plates section you'll find some dishes to really get stuck into, such as crispy duck leg with plum sauce, beetroot pickle and cucumber pickle, as well as miso grilled aubergine with sweet miso, sesame, carrot pickle and cucumber pickle.

If poke don is more your thing, strap yourself in because there's lots to choose from. For us, it would have to be the spicy pork with sesame ponzu, fried egg, nori, sesame, crispy noodles, avocado shiso and steamed rice. Oh, and we couldn't forget about dessert. Why not try the Nutella croissant TaiYaki with cherry soft serve ice cream, or how about the Kinako donuts with black sugar custard.