Chotto Matte: Nikkei cuisine with a side of glam

Chotto Matte is a restaurant in Soho. It serves Nikkei cuisine. Obviously. A heady mix of Japanese and Peruvian cuisine, think sashimi with giant corn, it is a cuisine made for London in 2014. Peruvian, heralded as the saviour last year, has become a slow-burning success (Ceviche has two branches, Lima a star). Japanese, and especially Japanese "fusion" (how I do hate that word), continues to be a popular amongst the chattering classes.

There is graffiti, but not any old graffiti, Chotto Matte has anime graffiti. Of course there are the Soho chandeliers - the hanging light bulbs of Babylon. There is a winding staircase and a gaggle of glamorous people waiting to greet you. This place has been designed to fit around the stylish set of Soho - a quick look on the website reveals no less than 190 photos of people who I am sure I should know, but don't, all looking just fantastic. Designer heaven set against a backdrop of anime. 

This is not really my style - I prefer a more simple set up. But I digress, I shouldn't be so shallow. Can they cook? Do they manage to blend their sashimi with their ceviche? That is the important thing. 

Emphatically, yes. I know, I am as surprised as you. Often when this much attention has been spent on cultivating such an on-trend look, restaurateurs forget that they also have to serve up half decent plate of grub. No such loss of focus at Chotto Matte. Bar a couple of slightly less impressive dishes (the gyoza were simply fine, the ox heart a little chewy), we are served plate after plate of food that will make you smile. Beautiful food. Tasty food.

A trio of raw seafood to kick things off: limey scallop with jalapeno, yes please; seabass with that giant corn, crispy and boiled; and yellowtail and yuzu. Fresh fish, bang on flavours, it all worked. And, to boot, it was all just so darned pretty!

Sea bass, sweet potato and corn 

Scallop sashimi

Yellowtail

Things continued with some crispy softshell crab and beef heart in a "traditional" marinade - a rousing mix of panca and amarillo peppers, unctuous is the word I think. There were also gyoza, crispy one side, punctuated by garlic.

We finished with a couple of tostaditas. Now maybe this is what Nikkei cuisine is - I have eaten well in Peru and Japan, but I don't profess to be an expert - but it certainly felt as if we had headed a couple of thousand miles north to Mexico when these came out - think the beach at Tulum. Crispy tortilla topped with beef fillet "tataki" (not sure that we had enough of a sear to get us to tataki, but nice nonetheless), and black cod with miso. Great snacking food.

Beef tataki tostadita

Black cod and miso tostadita

Does it serve up genuine Nikkei cuisine? Probably not. Does it matter? Probably not. Chotto Matte is like a student on their gap year, let loose with an STA round-the-world ticket: some truffle from Italy, a stop in Mexico for supplies, a lengthy stay in Peru to "help the locals", followed by some culture in Japan. You know what though, I enjoyed my gap year. And I enjoyed Chotto Matte too, so there!

Flesh and Buns: Izakaya arrives in London

Flesh and Buns is the new offering from those clever people behind Bone Daddies. Having taken the ramen world by storm, they have now decided to introduce London to the joys of Izakaya dining. What, you've never heard of Izakaya? Really? Neither had I. But, given that it is essentially Japan's answer to a pint of bitter and scampi fries (with the bitter replaced by sake and the scampi by sushi), I thought it was something I should explore.

The restaurant is gigantic, a large high table stretching all the way down the middle. Think Wagamama, but much, much cooler. The menu is made up of snacks, small hot and cold plates and "flesh and buns". Everything is for sharing.

We kicked things off with some "chips and dips" - tasty homemade rice crackers, shiso avocado (essentially guacamole, I struggled to detect any shiso) and tomato jalapeno (for which read salsa). I loved this take on Japanese/Mexican fusion.

Tuna tataki was seared on the outside, served with a tart grapefruit, chili, coriander. If this is food to drink by, pass the sake. Beautiful to look at, even better to eat, this was a splendid dish - all of the flavours balanced perfectly.

Then came the "flesh". A hulking great lump of pork belly, mustard miso sauce and the fluffiest buns you will find anywhere in London. Our waitress tried to pull the pork at the table, sadly for her, she ended up in a bit of a wrestling match - moist on top, it had dried out a little at the bottom, pork has pulled easier before. That said, once she had put her all into it, it came apart fine, with a dribble of the fiery mustard miso and some pickled apple, the buns were devoured in record time.

Surprisingly filling, we probably didn't need anything else. But of course we had done our usual of ordering one more dish than the staff recommend (when the Fashionista is on form, and snacking food is the game, it is quite incredible how much can be devoured). And so we ended up finishing on some chicken yakitori - grilled skewers of perfectly moist, marinated chicken interspersed with crunchy spring onions. A great end.

So let's get back to the premise of Flesh and Buns. Food to accompany sake- there is a great selection (sadly, given it was lunchtime and we had a busy afternoon stretching ahead of us, we didn't get involved). It does that admirably. But to relegate the food to a sideshow would be harsh in the extreme - it's far more deserving than that. I, for one, can't wait to round up a few mates and head there for a sake-fuelled session of Izakaya. The scampi fries may at last have found their match!

Sushi Tetsu: an eency weency corner of Japan in London

I have a problem with Sushi Tetsu. Although in fairness the problem lies more with me than them. I was going along quite nicely, enjoying sashimi from Itsu once or twice a week after the gym as a light, protein-rich, lunch. I always knew it wasn't great, not real sushi, not like I had had in the fish markets of Tokyo, but it was fine. Quite enjoyable actually. No longer. I can't stomach it anymore. Not since I was reminded what sushi should really taste like.

Now what's quite special about Sushi Tetsu is that its not the first time I have tried to seek out the clean refreshing flavours of "proper sushi" in London. I have travelled the lengths of the Piccadilly line in search of sushi - out to Ealing to Kiraku, one of the best in London according to Japanese friends. But, while it was great, it didn't hit me like Sushi Tetsu. In Kiraku I was in a very nice Japanese restaurant in Ealing, stepping through the curtain into the tiny seven seat sushi bar at Sushi Tetsu, I was in Kobe.

The menu is made up of sashimi, sushi and various sushi rolls. Unfortunately the Omakase (chef's choice) has to be booked in advance so it was up to us to do the honours. That said, we were expertly guided through the menu by Harumi, our wonderful host. Some sashimi to start, some mackerel (Chef Toru's speciality) then onto the Chef's choice of sushi.

We opted for the medium fatty tuna, sea bass and spear squid. Toru got to work, preparing fresh wasabi from the root, treating the fish with a reverence rarely seen, the end product was one of the most beautifully presented plates of sashimi I have seen. Rich tuna; squid, beautifully scored, provided bite; fresh sea bass - all framed by fruity shiso leaves.

Then came the mackerel - lightly cured, skin flash roasted by blow torch, surrounding by sprinkles of Japanese seven spice (shichimi) and cucumber. This was one of those dishes you just know you are going to remember. Everything about it was perfect.

We were then left in the hands of Chef Toro. Hand-pressed rice, topped with incredibly fresh fish, we were encouraged to devour them in one mouthful. Each one better than the last, we had tiger-like salmon, sweet and juicy prawn, lightly scored squid, delicate sea bass, rich tuna... on and on it went, none disappointed.  

Salmon

Squid

Tuna

Black bream (I think!)

Turbot (I think!)

Sea bass

Prawn tail

Tuna and salmon rolls with some more of that seven spice

Its probably clear by now that I didn't exactly dislike Sushi Tetsu. It is quite simply the best sushi in London. Hands down. No quibbling. No debate. The fact that it is served in such a wonderfully intimate and friendly seven seat restaurant just makes it all the better. If you want to go, though, you had better be quick. They often book out for the following month on the morning the tables are released. Needless to say I have a reminder for the 1st of August to try and get a space for September. Not many restaurants warrant such organisation, Sushi Tetsu does.

Koya: a Trend Setter

London is a trendy city.  I don't mean that to sound like it is fashionable.  It is, but that is not what I mean.  Rather, it is full of trends.  Things come and go in the blink of an eye.  Everyone is always looking for the next "thing".  Burgers have been particularly enduring.  Fried Chicken and Ceviche more of a flash in the pan.  Unlike in smaller towns, the population is large enough to support these moving feasts.

The latest trend is for, how shall I say this, Japanese noodely soups - Udon and Ramen places are taking over (although I am sure that the Japanese aficionados amongst you are now standing aghast at how I can combine the two into one "trend" - aghast noted).  People are at last starting to learn that what is served in Wagamama is not worth the pennies - there is something better out there.

As with everything, they say that the original is the best.  And the positive grandfather of this movement (taken forward recently by Tonkotsu and Bone Daddies) is Koya - it opened way back in 2010! So, having recommended it (on the back of others' reviews) to two friends recently visiting London, I thought it was about time I went along to see what all the fuss was about.

As a self-respecting Soho establishment, Koya does not accept reservations.  Such a bugbear of mine, although in Koya's case I can see why, people don't really linger over noodles so turnover is high.  Nevertheless we waited a good half an hour for a table - avoid 8pm!  By nine, people walked straight in.  First impressions were negative - waiter's response to a rough estimate of waiting time was bolshy, sarcastic, arrogant (some vague reference to knowing the lottery results) - an inauspicious start.

Once in we dived straight into the menu - it's simple really, two choices, then additions. Noodles, hot or cold?  Broth, hot or cold?  Additions included prawn tempura, mushrooms and walnut miso, beef or other daily specials.  There are also some small plates to top up.

We went for a mixed seaweed, hot broth/hot noodles, and a pork and miso, hot broth/cold noodles. Then we added toppings of a poached egg and tempura batter.  We also shared some roast duck.

The duck was served cold with a warm, mirin-laden broth and spring onions - very tasty, especially the broth, although perhaps a little on the expensive side at seven quid.  Great wasabi though!

The seaweed noodles tasted of the sea - fresh and vibrant.  Some of the (three types of Welsh) seaweed was overcooked and mushy, however.  The poached egg which comes in its shell - you crack it into the noodles yourself, how fun - didn't really work with this one.

I had the pork and miso with cold noodles.  In their cold form, the noodles really came into their own - you really started to appreciate the skill that had gone into making them (apparently by foot, as is the traditional way).  With just the right amount of bite, they were some of the best Udon noodles I have ever had (including in Japan).  The broth had a great depth of flavour - but one small pork meatball was a little miserly.

I guess the question is, now that I have been to Koya myself, will I continue to recommend it?  In a word, yes!  Next time I would probably pass on the poached egg and tempura batter - unnecessary additions.  But the Udon themselves are quite simply the best about.  

Okan - Delicious food from Osaka

There are not all that many places left for me to try in Brixton Village such has been the draw of this place for me over the last few months! Heading there for a quick bite to eat Saturday lunchtime we considered getting one of the best burgers in town at Honest Burgers,thought about getting some more Beijing dumplings from the excellent Mama Lan but settled on something new, Okan!

This diminutive Japanese restaurant serves up staples of the Osaka street food scene - not a piece of sashimi or sushi roll in sight at this place and it's all the better for it.  Not that I am averse to a bit sushi, I love the stuff, its just nice to have a place which brings other Japanese staples to London.

We started with some Onasu, sweet fried aubergine cooked with soy, honey, ginger and miso - absolutely delicious.

We then shared a plate each of pork and kimchi (pickled spicy cabbage from Korea) Okonomiyaki and squid Yaki Soba.

For those not in the know, Okonomiyaki is one Japan's favourite street food specialities - a mish mash of a Japanese pancake with cabbage and, in our case, kimchi with pork.  Okan's version was as good as anything I tried in Japan.

Yaki Soba are egg noodles which in our case were served with delicious tender squid!!

Both the Yaki Soba and the Okonomiyaki came smothered in Japanese style mayo - tasty, and that's from a man who normally trys his best to steer clear of anything mayonnaised.

Along with the food we had the ginger and elderflower drink, one hot, one cold.  The hot version was delicious but the cold one lacked a punch.

Okan is another welcome addition to the Brixton Village scene, reasonably priced and absolutely delicious, I have no doubt it will continue to go from strength to strength.  I for one, will certainly be back for more!