Apothecary Izakaya
The ‘stay-drink-place’, Shoreditch
Taking over the spot that was previously Merchant’s Tavern, this 130-cover izakaya will be serving small plates like skewers, sushi, sashimi, and hirata buns, with sake served in taster sizes and tunes by Spiritland DJs.
Temaki
Hand rolls in a chic space, Brixton Village
Brixton is on a roll (sorry), and this place in Brixton Village is supposedly London’s first hand roll bar. They also have small plates (sashimi and tataki) and Japanese drinks.
MARU
20-course omakase, Shepherd Market, Mayfair
We are very excited about this one. From the team behind the excellent TAKA comes MARU, serving a 20-course omakase farm-to-table menu in a small, intimate, six-seater space. The focus is on British ingredients via a Japanese lens.
BAO Noodle Shop
Their first noodle shop, Shoreditch
Taking inspiration from noodle shops in Taiwan, here you’ll find two versions of beef noodle soup, dan dan tofu noodles and kelp soup noodles, three new BAO buns, interesting starters, and BAOBING, a Taiwanese ice dessert. The design here looks fresh-trad and they will have entertainment rooms downstairs (from 20 July) for karaoke TV, too.
Humble Chicken
Bird is the word, Soho
People are already loving this one, and we’ve always liked this dining room (ex-Barrafina, ex-Freak Scene). Rock-n-roll yakitori skewers from chef Angelo Santo with a focus on comb-to-tail (eating the whole bird). It looks fun, too – if you’re veg or pescatarian, you might have to focus on starters, dessert, and vibes!
Kurisu Omakase
Chris knows, Brixton
This spot looks just right. Chef Chris Restrepo is young, innovative, seems hip, trained with the masters, and serves an 18-course omakase menu out of his parents’ restaurant Ichiban Sushi. The only issue is getting a reservation. Watch his social for pop ups, additional dates, special events and more.
Junsei
Yak it to us, Marylebone
And we’re back to yakitori. Here things are grilled over Binchōtan, a white charcoal using Japanese oak that is said to cook from the inside out, so juices are locked in, and it’s not smoky. There are over 20 different yakitori skewers, with veg ones too, as well as an eight-skewer omakase.
Mao Chow
Vegan Szechuan, Boxpark Shoreditch (coming soon)
We think this looks like one of the best menus (and vibes, with smiley rave stickers on roll ups) in London. They have dumplings and dan dan noodles, as well as things like twice-cooked rice cakes, green chilli noodles, and chongqing cauliflower. All dishes are vegan, and their Boxpark location is opening soon!
Hackney Coterie
Powerhouse team, Hackney Downs
From Anthony Lyon (of Lyon’s in Crouch End) comes this ‘warehouse brasserie and wine bar’. The head chef is ex-HIDE, and the menu focus is on ingredients and flavours they like (a lot of which are Asian) rather than a specific type of cuisine. We love! Things like kombucha-glazed pumpkin, pickled shimejis, wasabi leaf and kisaichi-pickled watermelon stand out.
Hot Stone Fitzrovia
Hot stone cooking, Fitzrovia
Here it’s all about – you got it – cooking over hot stones, and their signature ishiyaki menu has Kobe, Wagyu or black tiger prawns, cooked on 400℃ stones brought to the table. Exclusive to this new Fitzrovia location is the Wagyu and uni don, and you can also, of course, get sushi, maki, sashimi, and sake.
The Ivy Asia
New, Chelsea
Opening 30 July on the King’s Road, this is the second Ivy Asia (with Ivy vibes and an Asian menu), and it has a quite reasonable daily tasting menu from 12-3), too.
Lifestyle: Lists
Top 10 Asian
6/7/21
