Ittenbari review – ramen revelation or revulsion?

Ra-ra-ramen-ra In London’s increasingly crowded restaurant scene, new eateries often need a hook or some unique selling point to pull in the punters. For restaurants drawing on the rich culinary heritage of a foreign country, one easy hook is a dish or regional cuisine underrepresented in the UK. Ittenbari is a new Japanese restaurant specialising [...]

East Street review – full of Eastern promise or just full of it?

Oxford Street’s East Asian street food smorgasbord With some restaurants, the reasons behind the choice of décor can be inscrutable but that isn’t the case with East Street. East Street is a casual eatery located just off the north edge of Oxford Street and serves up a broad menu of street food from a large [...]

Kin review – Holborn’s Asian street food hideaway

Jack of all trades but master of none? Following my stiflingly average experience at Banana Tree, I wasn’t enthused about trying another budget pan-Asian eatery but the need for a cheap meal after a hard day’s slog at work prompted me to visit Kin. This new restaurant, located on a side road you probably wouldn’t stumble across, [...]

Satsuma review – currying favour

Stylish surroundings, but is the food any good? Satsuma used to be a by-the-numbers Japanese restaurant that could be depended upon for a tasty bowl of udon noodles but little more. The Soho eatery has now been remodelled and reopened as self-touted katsu curry specialists (long-time Londoners will probably remember the dim sum restaurant that [...]

Ten Ten Tei review 2 – still as good as ever?

Rather successful at currying favour The humble Ten Ten Tei is the standard by which I measure other Japanese restaurants in London, both inexpensive and luxurious. Although I’ve managed to sample a good smattering of dishes from its expansive menu on previous visits, I had yet to try their katsu curry which is an oversight [...]

Koi review – budget Finchley Japanese comes a cropper

Finchley’s answer to Ten Ten Tei? Not quite… Ten Ten Tei is my favourite budget Japanese restaurant in London, but that restaurant is located in the West End. Although I’ll willingly travel far and wide for a good meal, not everyone feels the same way. London is a big city after all and not everyone [...]

Hakubai review – a beautiful taste of Japan in New York

This review of a New York restaurant is a break from The Picky Glutton’s usual London-based coverage. During my most recent visit to New York, I stayed at the Kitano Hotel which is, as far as I know, the only Japanese-owned hotel in the Big Apple. Many of the things at the hotel are designed [...]

Senkai review – Cocoon reborn

A butterfly reemerges from the old Cocoon? London’s Regent Street is better known for its shopping than its dining. The few restaurants are divided between fast food joints and the odd cafe on one hand and expensive fine dining places on the other. Senkai is definitely one of the latter. Although this Japanese restaurant appears [...]

Shibuya review – sushi Vegas-style

This review of a Las Vegas restaurant is a break from The Picky Glutton’s usual London-based coverage. Of all the restaurants I visited during my recent trip to Las Vegas, Shibuya is my favourite aesthetically. From the semi-abstract video wall looming over the sushi bar to the lattice work on the walls and the combination [...]

Moshi Moshi review – guilt free sushi?

Eye-catching, mouth pleasing. Following my consumption of at least two depleted animal populations during my lunch at Archipelago (bees and eel), I decided to make up for it by seeing if they were any sustainability-conscious restaurants in London. As luck would have it Moshi Moshi, a Japanese restaurant I’ve been meaning to try for a [...]