Address: 4 West Smithfield, London EC1A 9JX

 

Telephone number: 0207 489 7033

 

Website: www.saki-food.com

 

Date of visit:  15 January 2010

 

Approximate cost per head: From £10 but it is more likely £30

 

Comments on wine list/beer: Extensive saki list. Pricy wine list. A small bottle of Kirin was £4.30 and cokes at £1.90 per glass.

 

Summary:

 

The ground floor is an emporium. There is a display of nail clippers and knives. The nail clippers were around £180 and the knives £300. There is also a cold cabinet full of saki and there were also a few packs of biscuits on another counter. I don’t know what to make of it!

 

Downstairs – steep staircase! – is a restaurant and a bar.

 

The restaurant is square shaped with an open kitchen at one end and the usual sushi counter. The tables were arranged in a U shape around the other 3 walls. In the centre was a huge table or rather 4 sushi bars lined in a square shape with bar stools and a Japanese sand pit in the middle. It was very elegantly designed but no table clothes.

 

We were there for lunch and by 1pm, it was nearly full with a party taking over the centre table.

 

There is a lunch menu with dishes starting at £10 but the bulk of it were combinations at around £20.

 

The a la carte menu have sushi and sashimi as well as a few interesting dishes. What captured my eyes were the two omakase menu. The first had the usual combination of meat, fish and sushi/tempura. The top version (all the courses) was priced at £65.50. To pair glasses of wine with the dishes were another £25.50 and to pair saki another £32.50.  There was also a vegetarian version (totally vegetarian) at £65.50. However when paired with premium saki was another £45. 24 hour notice is required for the vegetarian version. So take note! I am going to give it a go when I win the lotto (jackpot).

 

We had the rib eye set lunch  (£17.50) and the tuna and salmon mixed sushi set (£20.50) and a side order of eel nigiri at £8.90 for 3 pieces. The rib eye was sensational. It was char grilled and full of flavour. The sushi set was fine. For the set lunch, you get a freebie starter which was some sort of crab in bread crumbs – not fried. The place is Ok but its not cheap.

 

Most of the diners were the new exec type – suits, shirts and no ties. Probably New Media agency directors.

Eddie

 

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Location: 1 Station Parade, Uxbridge Rd, Ealing W5 3LD

Telephone number: 0208 896 3175

Website: N/A

 Date of visit: 12 November 2009

Approximate cost per head:  From £10

 

Comments on wine list/beer: Sake and beer – very reasonable prices

 

Summary:

 

Ok, let’s get the spin out of the way – this is where Heston Blumenthal (Hine Head, The Fat Duck) and Billy Leung (China Palace, Furama, Imperial China) eats sushi. Who is Billy – you might ask. He is the proprietor of 3 Chinese restaurants and I trust his palate re food but not wine.

 

Let’s also get the negatives out of the way – they only take cash, the place is very spartan and could only do around 20 covers; the opening times are 11.00 – 13.30 and 16.30 – 21.00; they have only one toilet and its unisex.

 

This said, this is one of the place to eat sushi and sashimi in the UK. The fish is in tip top condition and it’s cheap. I had the mixed sushi B which had 8 pieces of proper fish on rice and came to a grand total of £12. My kirin beer was less than £3. On the day I went, the place was empty but half the tables were booked. They also did a roaring trade in take away (made to order) whilst I was there.

 

The menu is highly limited and is totally confined to the traditional sushi dishes. You can get miso soup and green tea but that’s about it – no tempura, no ramen ……….

 

The restaurant is sited opposite Ealing Common station. If you want to park, you can do so round the corner in front of  the Ramada Hotel.

Eddie

 

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Location: 1030 W Georgia St, Vancouver, Canada V6E 2YS

Telephone number: +(1) 604 687 8588

Website: none

Date of visit: 1 November 2009

Approximate cost per head: from C$ 10

Comments on wine list/beer: Cocktails and beer. Wines available but pretty poor.

Summary:
Another Japanese in Vancouver but the cooking here is basic – sushi, sashimi, tempura, ramen ……..

You get a really colourful menu (most dishes photographed) in a huge but well segregated (booths) restaurant in the heart of downtown Vancouver.

Everything seems to come in combo – boats, bento etc. – and it starts at just over C$10 for big portions.

The food is very nicely cooked but that’s about it. You get what you see. On the day I went, I had 6 pieces of sushi, 6 pieces of tempura (2 prawns), a bowl of ramen in miso soup and green tea for C$12.50 (ramen combo) from the lunch menu. Well, I can’t complain.

Kamei Royal is on the 2nd floor (UK equivalent is first floor) of a building sandwiched between the Hyatt and the Fairmount  Vancouver. You also get to see autographs of all sorts of  Chinese  Stars on the wall outside the loo. I didn’t recognise or have heard of any of them except John Woo (the director). Its just shows that the Chinese are prudent – they eat here, whilst their US counterparts (Hollywood stars) eat at Tojo’s – maybe it’s the difference in pay (except John Woo!)

Eddie@bottlesandcooks.com

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