Kikuchi – Again. A second bite

It was rather remiss of me not to try the sashimi at the time of my first review of Kikuchi. Please excuse me. But the time has come to share the good word.

Kikuchi has now become a regular haunt when we crave good, local Japanese food. Or the bustling atmosphere of Tokyo. Or a night on the sake.

So, we’ve been diligently saving up our vouchers from each visit (£5 for every £50 you spend) and recently had a big blow out which the neighbours of Hanway Street are still talking about.

So, I won’t rave on (and on...) (again...) about Kikuchi (see my earlier review for more details). But I will say there’s a big difference between bad sushi and good sushi. This stuff’s good. The happy hoards of Japanese business men crowding the room are a testament to the fact. Sit in front of the cartoon character-like sushi bar man, knock back some sake or Japanese beers and watch as the chef’s selection of deliciously fresh slithers of fish, lush flavours, and slippery smooth textures are lavished up on you. Bless him.

The nasu dengaku (aubergine grilled with miso sauce) is another essential for us. The miso caramelises in the grilling process over the smoky aubergine – scoop it out, sit back and luxuriate in the sweetness. If you don’t normally like aubergine, this is the one to convert you.

And I always like to finish off with some cold buckwheat noodles (soba) which come with a side of spicy dipping sauce (often bland, but delectable here). There are reportedly over 30,000 soba restaurants in Japan. Soba noodles have been eaten in Japan for over 400 years, and it is a distinguished Japanese art to perfect them so they stay firm, slippery and intact. Close your eyes, slurp loudly and wallow in the traditions behind your feast.

It’s all wonderful, and you’ll even feel healthy* when you finish (*depending on beer consumption).

Book ahead, and don’t forget the £20 minimum food spend (plus drinks/service).

Kikuchi, 14 Hanway Street, London W1T 1UD

Kikuchi: Fitzrovia, London

Despite, or maybe because of, the dark and eery countenance of the sordid little laneway that is Hanway Street, I never fail to have a good time there. Tucked away discreetly in the midst of it all is Kikuchi - a Japanese restaurant that, with one peek in the window, we dared to dream might be something along the lines of which we had not encountered since our trip to Tokyo early last year.

It's small and basic, but jam packed with tables full of Japanese businessmen eating fresh sashimi and knocking back the sake like it's going out of style. We enter to cries of "Hirashaimaseeee" and a room buzzing with atmosphere. The sushi chef, with his carefully sculpted mo and sidies, works rapidly and ceaselessly at the counter, while the waitresses offer that amazingly friendly "can't do enough for you" service that is rarely seen outside of Japan. But just what do they cry out incessantly to each other, even when no-one seems to register a reaction??

Both the atmosphere and food are more authentic than anything I've found in London to date (noting I haven't yet been to Sushi-Hiro, which I've been hankering to try out - it recently won a Bib Gourmande in the UK 2010 Michelin Guide). At Kikuchi, there's a £20 per head minimum food spend, which means it's not exactly a cheap eats night out once you factor in the obligatory Japanese beers and sake, but on looking around at the food being delivered to nearby tables we were sufficiently caught up in the whirl of our new find and ready to take it on. And, given the quality, it turned out to be good value.

The waitress suggested sushi and sashimi are the house specialities. We didn't try them this time, but (we didn't realise at the time) Jay Rayner reviewed Kikuchi just a few weeks ago [GD: It's 2010 - his review was actually Jan 2009 - blonde moment] and raved about its sushi. It doesn't surprise me. Everything we ate was outstanding.

A little, freebie vegetable potato salad got the stomach juices flowing right from scratch. Our first starter, raw scallops with a smooth, sweet ginger sauce balanced beautifully with the seaweed and pickled vegetables around it. There was already a temptation for The Peanut Gallery and I to high five each other's chopsticks at this point.

Our prawn tempura was perfectly executed - light and crispy batter, with big, flavoursome, juicy prawns wrapped up inside. Another side of grilled eel with a cucumber and sesame salad in a sweet soy-like sauce was also excellent.

The grilled salmon skins with spring onion and radish was lush and crispy, while our chicken yakitori skewers were mouth wateringly tasty.  We finished off with the chicken and vegetable hot pot - a clear, light broth with outstandingly tasty chicken pieces, delicious chicken "rissole" type balls, silky tofu, cabbage and spring onion.

Our food bill came to £42, although we would order more next time (we had initially set out for a light meal). TPG declared it - when we come back again (oh, we will be back) it will be hard not to order the exact same dishes. They were all fantastic.

But I really do want to try the sashimi bar. And I want to see how the festivities end up for all those hard core, sake drinking folk around me. If you love the food in Tokyo, I suggest you'll find this one's a winner.

[Postscript: I have since gone back (many times...) and reviewed the sashimi - see here.]

Kikuchi, 14 Hanway Street, London W1T 1UD