Harajuku Kitchen

Traditionally, the Japanese culture follows a minimalist approach to life, and this is also true of Japanese bistro Harajuku Kitchen. The restaurant finds its home in a pared-back dining room featuring bare wooden floors, plain white walls and miniature potted plants lining the windowsill. Although the room is mostly a serene space, there are a few pops of colour from the Japanese murals on the walls, which depict Geisha girls and flowers native to the country.

Chef-patron Kaori Simpson uses family recipes which have been passed down three generations to deliver an authentic flavour of Japan. The menu offers a selection of small plates – chicken karaage, beef tataki, takoyaki octopus dough balls – as well as freshly prepared sushi, sashimi, nigiri, futomaki rolls and regularly changing specials.

From the smaller dishes, we loved the plump, tender gyoza which are made using Scottish outdoor-reared minced pork, while an alluring dish of agedashi tofu is just one of a handful of tempting vegetarian options on offer. Here, the deep-fried cubes of tofu have been spiked with notes of ginger and spring onion, allowing the inherent blandness of tofu to soak up these strong flavours and act as a vessel through which to deliver them.

Harajuku’s sushi rolls also deserve a special shout out – the Salmon California Roll was a particular highlight, comprising a tightly packed roll of fresh avocado and salmon, and dotted with neon green pods of tobiko (fish roe) which gently burst in the mouth. From the larger dishes, a main dish of katsudon (breaded pork tonkatsu cooked in sweet sauce with caramelised onion and egg with rice) was hearty and comforting, sweet and savoury, while a bowl of stir-fried yaki udon noodles with chicken boasted complex, lingering flavours.

Harajuku Kitchen is fairly priced in general, but for those watching the pennies, the set lunch and pre-theatre menus (two small dishes for £12.95) represent great value. Switched-on service and beers from Japan are further draws, making Harajuku Kitchen a welcoming venue to savour classic Japanese cooking – as well as providing the enticing option of sampling some more unusual delicacies.

With a genius fusion of traditional family recipes and award-winning flair, Harajuku Kitchen is ready to bring you the very finest of Japanese cuisine in the heart of Edinburgh. Each dish is crafted with authenticity and originality in mind, delivering you flavours and textures straight from the streets of Tokyo. Fresh ingredients are the key to Harajuku Kitchen’s exceptional dishes, so you’ll be guaranteed a high-quality visit each time you step through the doors.

First up, it's the tanpin dishes, which are hot. Choose from edamame in chilli kosher salt, dough balls stuffed with octopus and cabbage, topped with mayo, bonito and takoyaki sauce, and deep fried tofu with ginger, radish and spring onions in a tentsuyu sauce. The crispy and succulent deep fried karaage chicken is not to be missed, served with a daikon dare sauce. For a Scottish and Japanese blend, try the okinawa style slow cooked Scottish free-range pork belly cooked in sake, mirin, soy, ginger, sugar and spices. The ippin dishes are cold, and include cucumber kimchi, kaiso seaweed salad and harusame salad with glass noodles and a wafu dressing.

Donburi rice bowls are served with a side of miso soup, and there are plenty of options for you to choose from. The tofu teriyaki is deep fried in a tangy and sweet sauce, then there's the tempura don with tiger prawns and chicken teriyaki. Curry dishes are a big hit in Japanese cuisine, and you guessed it, Harajuku Kitchen offers a cracking katsu curry with panko breaded Scottish free-range pork cutlets with a Japanese curry sauce and a vegan option with breaded aubergine. Yaki udon, sashimi, nigiri, gunkan, hoso maki, futomaki and more also feature on the menu, so you're in for a real treat.