Banstead, Japanese Restaurant Guide

“The very, very best of Japanese cuisine” is found in the unlikely setting of a luxurious Surrey Hills mansion once owned by press baron Lord Beaverbrook, where Wojciech Popow, founder of the Polish Association of Sushi Chefs, presides over a “wonderful Japanese tasting menu” that delivers “an unforgettable feast”. Through the summer guests can dine in the heated basket of a stationary hot-air balloon in the formal Italian garden, on prized cuts of o-toro tuna and Kobe and wagyu beef cooked on their own yakiniku grill – a “great and expensive experience” (£245 per person).

This “relaxed local Japanese” in Raynes Park “opened recently on the site of (confusingly similarly named) Hashi”. Reports suggest “the quality of the food is better”, with “authentic, skillfully prepared dishes” including “good fresh sushi”.

“The omakase experience borders on the sublime” – “it’s food as art” – at this “hidden gem” of a Japanese restaurant, tucked away in an unpromising shopping parade near South Wimbledon tube for almost a decade now. Former Nobu chef Taka and his wife Yuko preside over a “very personalised food offering”, with their “delightful and kind service”.

“Expensive, but high-quality yakitori skewers and sushi” are a “delicious and original offering that suit all ages”, and win little but praise for this “very consistent” chain, whose minimalist Scandi style reflects its origins in Copenhagen. Success continues to bring fast expansion, with recent openings in Westfield W12 (in December 2022) and Shoreditch (in March 2023) and more soon to follow in Richmond (October 2023) and Kingston (early 2024). Phew! Top Menu Tip – “truffle paste cauliflower side dish to die for (who knew?)”.

“Well produced, tasty morsels of delight” including “ace lunchtime bento boxes” are served at these “pared down” Japanese canteens, which provide “good value for money for what is generally an expensive cuisine”. Founder Mr Taro is not one for fast food: he conceived the idea of opening an ‘everyday dining room’ on a visit to London in 1979 and launched it in Soho 20 years later. Two decades on he is in expansion mode, and in February 2023 opened a sixth branch in a former Manze Pie & Mash shop in Walthamstow, with a Grade II listed interior now restored to its previous glory.

Strikingly decorated with murals, this three-year-old modern Japanese from a Cheltenham-based group has proved a “great addition” to Battersea’s ‘Nappy Valley’, and wins praise for “exceptional signature sushi rolls”, “very good cocktails” and its lively style. Ratings are limited by those who find the success of the cooking to be a case of hit and miss.

This “well-established Twickenham no-frills Japanese restaurant” has an “unchanging menu that never fails to deliver” – “it’s so difficult to get a table and you know why when you eat there: high-quality food at sensible prices”. “Bobby on front of house is great – he knows his locals and welcomes everyone like an old friend”. “The food is fantastic too – we always leave feeling we have had a feast”.

This “modern Japanese” with a “clubby and bouncy vibe” has been a hit on Clapham High Street since three former Nobu chefs opened it 23 years ago, and it remains a “very popular” destination for cocktails and fusion bites. Always “a slightly idiosyncratic” place – this issue was more to the fore this year with incidents of “erratic” or “uncoordinated” service, and one or two fears that the “huge” menu is being “dumbed down”.

2022 Review: “Sink your teeth in and savour!” the “bold flavours” of former MasterChef winner Tim Anderson’s take on Japanese cooking using foreign or ‘barbarian’ (Nanban) ingredients, showcased in his “fast and furious” 10-year-old pop-up-gone-permanent on the edge of Brixton Market. “Their noodle dishes became a lockdown delivery staple, packed with flavour, a wonderful smoky depth to the tea eggs, heart-warming broths”. A new Covent Garden offshoot opened in September 2021 at Kerb’s Seven Dials Market, focused on ramen dishes.

2022 Review: This “lovely little Japanese restaurant with a very decent range” is a “very welcome option in Richmond”. Run by a Korean family, it has provided “sterling service” for 17 years.

This “really impressive” two-year-old from Aidan Bryan & Tom Blackshaw in Brixton’s former Bon Marché department store is a “catch-all Japanese restaurant delivering high-quality, tasty dishes” that are “quirky, in a good way”: “while not the most authentic sushi for the purists” – the clue is in the name – “it’s definitely worth a visit”.

“A top tip for sushi and other interesting Japanese dishes” – this 11-year-old group from Israeli-born Ohad Kastro offers an “excellent quality and variety of options” that are “so much better than standard rivals” – and each branch “manages to feel like a comfy ‘local’, despite there being others around town”.

Buzzy Japanese in East Dulwich (younger sister of Clapham’s long-established Tsunami), that’s “always busy due to the reliably tasty (and never-changing) menu” of sushi and sashimi, plus more substantial fare, backed up by “excellent cocktails”.

“Tasty, good-value noodles” in a “relaxed environment” make this 12-year-old London chain (14 branches, plus Brighton and Brum) “worth a visit”. The “ramen is deep and fabulous” if “limited in range (no fish-based dishes except prawn)”, and is augmented by “quite acceptable katsu curry”. Aficionados should head to the Haggerston branch to watch the noodles being made.

“A top tip for sushi and other interesting Japanese dishes” – this 11-year-old group from Israeli-born Ohad Kastro offers an “excellent quality and variety of options” that are “so much better than standard rivals” – and each branch “manages to feel like a comfy ‘local’, despite there being others around town”.