Cafe Japan

CAFE JAPAN

Cuisine: Japanese

Nearest tube: Golders Green

Address: 626 Finchley Road, London, NW11 7RR

Tel: 020 8455 6854

Cafe Japan is comfortably the best sushi house I’ve visited in London. With sushi being one of my favourite foodstuffs, I’m constantly on the lookout for new places, but so far Cafe Japan is ichibahn in my quest for the finest sashimi this side of the Atlantic, or Pacific, or whatever sea it is because I can’t be bothered to check.

At first glance, Cafe Japan is small and unassuming, with a rustic, understated charm; the decor is plain, and the restaurant only holds about 15 tables and is nearly always packed full, so booking is a must. My seat of choice is up at the sushi bar, so I can peer disconcertingly at the highly-skilled chefs as they do their stuff.

The food is crisp and fresh, as I go for edamame beans to start while I wait for my main course, the moist, salty peas almost ruining my appetite as I gorge myself and then eventually ask my Mum to move them beyond my reach before I finish the last three. I go for the spiced sashimi, thick slices of cold, fresh fish drizzled with soy sauce and sprinkled with shredded green garlic. It’s exploding with flavour without being overpowering. The nigiri sushi is tender, moist and generously-sized, although I’m still not man enough to attempt the sea urchin, which for all the world looks like a scoop of dog’s business. The tempura is light, perfectly crispy, and not too greasy, with sweet succulent king prawns covered in golden bubbly batter.

The service is idiosyncratically charming and polite, in the way that only pretty Japanese girls can do. They smile and giggle and blush at my manly British charm as I hit them with my best Japanese phrases gleaned from Shenmue II. Their somewhat nonplussed reactions lead me to assume that either they’re actually Korean, or my Japanese is shit.

It’s not cheap, but Japanese food never is. The chirashi sushi is £17, and the bill (sans alcohol) comes to about £25 per head. It’s a decent price for what I believe is the best sushi house in the capital, and its reputation is entrenched with the addition of After-Eight mints with the bill. Arigatou!

Service 4/5

Food 4/5

Value 3/5

Ambience 3/5

Total: 14/20

Why you should go there: It’s the best sushi house in London.

Don’t leave without trying: Chirashi sushi