The Guardian
Grace Dent recommended this Japanese basement spot below a Swiss-owned ‘lifestyle hospitality brand’ hotel as a “determinedly fun and delicious place to have up your sleeve” – and a “vast improvement” on Nobu Shoreditch, its gargantuan and soulless predecessor.
Billed as an ‘izakaya’ – according to Grace, a common tactic among European restaurateurs who don’t want their Japanese-inspired venues to sound off-puttingly sober – it is pitched at both local content creators chasing sandos and a more mature crowd seeking sushi and sake. And it “won’t win any plaudits from Japanese purists, who will turn up their noses at the grilled beef fillet with garlic and soy butter and the soy-glazed salmon skewers”.
But the chutoro sashimi was genuinely excellent – “fresh, fatty, supple, devourable” – and the juicy chicken meatballs were “worth the trip alone”.
Grace Dent - 2026-05-10
