Kiri

Kiri restaurant is a Japanese drinking den off Oxford street, which serves modern izakaya dishes.

Being a place for drinking than then menu can’t be short of a selection of drinks. There is a range wines, beer, sake and shochu. For those who want non-alcoholic drinks there is also a range of soft drinks and Japanese tea.

For food, there are a range of fish, meat and vegetable small plates. We ordered a selection of dishes on the menu at the time.

• Buta kawa chips (£2) is pork scratching which is not for every one taste buds. They were very crunchy, a bit too much for my liking.
• Gyu tataki (£15) is seared wagyu steak with ponzu. This was one of my favourite dish with really tender steak and served in a refreshing citrus ponzu sauce.
• Tako no carpaccio (£4.50) is thinly sliced octopus served in a wasabi dressing
• Agedashu tofu (£5) is a Japanese fried tofu which at Kiri is served in shiitake mushroom sauce. Using shiitake mushroom as the sauce compliment the tofu well. It was different to the usual agedashu tofu which is tend to be served in soya sauce.
• Uzura-niku no norimaki age (£12) is deep-fried quail rolled in seaweed
• Gindara misoyaki (£20) is black cod which is flavoured in miso. There is nothing better than the combination of cod and miso.
• Hotate to ebi no gratin (£9.50) is creamy crab, scallop and prawn gratin.

Kiri also offered robata skewers on the menu and I got to try both of them:

• Wagyu kushiyaki (£7.50 per skewer) is chunky Wagyu beef served with a black pepper sauce.
• Getsuyo kushiyaki (£3.80 per skewer) is marinated rabbit meat.

We also tried the dessert Kiri offered the evening we visited but it was not that exciting. But a meal is not complete will out some thing sweet to finish off.

Overall the food was not bad at Kiri but I felt some of the dishes were expensive. It is a nice place for a drink and having a light bite. But do not expect to walk out of the restaurant filling full without draining your cash dry, especially if you have a big appetite.

(Menu and prices correct at the time of dining)

Kiri
22-23 Woodstock Street
W1C 2AR
London

http://kiri-london.com

Fucina

This is my long over due review of Fucina which opened its doors during the second half of 2016. The restaurant is founded by Kurt Zdesar who has been behind places like Ping Pong, Chotta Matte and Black Roe.

When I visited Fucina last year, it aim to bring the concept of Italian dishes made with freshly produce. The menu was split over different section and spread over two pages. Since then the menu has changed being condense on to one page. Whether it’s for the better that is a question mark.

During my visit I tried Straciatella with Mazzara prawn and black truffle (£18). If there wasn’t the soft opening offer, then I would have not ordered the dish with that price. But you won’t have that choice since I no longer see it on the updated menu.

Linguine al granchio (also known as crab linguine) was freshly made linguine served with Devonshire crab, chilli and garlic (£13.50).

The texture and the taste of the linguine reminded me of e-fu noodle (yi mein) which is used in Chinese cuisine and commonly made as a braised noodle dish.

There was a selection of pizza on the menu and I tried one of the vegetarian option, Bufala pizza (£11). The pizza is topped with bufala mozzarella, sicilian pachino tomoto & basil.

Fucina offers a range of grills such as steak and chicken. I tried the Maiale nero pork shoulder (£19.60) that they had on the menu at the time of my visit. For a gold price tag we got a few slices of pork that is served pink.

The meal was completed with dessert. The Panna cotta with pistachio crumble, blueberry and optional grappa (£7.50) was surprising.

In what sense you might be asking. Well it was not the typical panna cotta I was expected. Neitherless, it was a good contemporary concept. Think of as a messy version of a panna cotta but in an artistic way.

Another dessert that I tried was Stefano’s cheese cake served with rhubarb & strawberry preserve (£7.50). Although it looked like an American cheesecake it had a more creamy texture.

Fucina is more of an upmarket Italian restaurant. On my visit it did have a bit of an unfriendly atmosphere. Not what you want to find especially when you want people to be returning or be recommending it to others.

I was happy to pay for the price tag after the 50% off during their soft launch period. But not the full price for some of the dishes which was on the small side.

There are many places that serve authentic Italian food in London, especially pizza for a more reasonable price.

(Menu and prices correct at the time of dining)

Fucina
26 Paddington Street
London
W1U 5QY
UK

JinJuu (Soho branch)

Jinjuu is an upmarket Korean restaurant opened by celebrity chef Judy Joo. It has two branches in London and one in Hong Kong. It has a modern atmosphere than your usual Korean restaurant in London but still serve a range of traditional Korean food.

I unexpectedly visited the Soho branch one Sunday afternoon. Just walked pass the restaurant and decided to catch lunch there. I was not dress for the atmosphere of Jinjuu as I was in my jogging top and trouser.

We started with Jinjuu’s Mandoo (£8 for four pieces), which are also known as steamed dumplings. There is choice of meat or vegetable fillings to select. We choice for the meat filling which was a mixture of beef & pork.

They were nicely presented with each dumpling served in an oriental looking spoon. You can pour some of the soy dipping sauce and eat straight from the spoon with no further plates needed!

We also tried the Sae-woo pops (£8.50). These are crispy fried round prawn cakes served on sticks and served with creamy gochujang mayo. Although I did not find any thing special about the sae-woo pops, each one was nicely fried and went well with the dipping sauce.

The one dish I had to try was Jinjuu’s signature Korean fried chicken (£9.50) which you can choose to have boneless chicken thighs, wings or a mixtures. I have seen Judy Joo on TV cooking programmes making her version Korean fried chicken, so it was interested to see how it taste.

Compared to other Korean fried chicken I have had so far, Jinjuu’s Korean fried chicken has a thick batter coating. It did reminded me slightly of the batter coating found on a battered fish and chips. The fried chicken comes served with two signature sauces – Red gochujang and Jinjuu black soy.

Korean food can not be with out Bibimbap (£11.50) and for those who is not familiar with Korean cuisine. Bibimbap is a traditional Korean rice dish that is served in a traditional stone bowl. The bowl is filled with white rice and topped with vegetables and topped with a fried egg, served with gochujan sauce.

At Jinjuu, for extra charge you can add kimchi, beef, chicken, pork belly, prawns and tofu.

Jinjuu offers a range homemade iced teas (£5 each) – Matcha & Manuka Honey, Korean Red Ginseng & Honey, Chamomile Flowers & Agave.

Overall it was a nice restaurant but would not be my choice for having a traditional Korean food which could be cheaper. This would be a place I go for a special occasion than my usual Korean fixture.

(Menu and prices correct at the time of dining)

Jinjuu (Soho)
15 Kingly Street,
London,
W1B 5PS

www.jinjuu.com

Ginza Onakada

Ginza Onakada was previously known as Matsuri which is located in London St James. The restaurant has gone through a total transformation with a new name and a full renovation. It has moved away from the concept of teppenyaki to bring back traditional Japanese food.

The whole restaurant has been modernised with a sleek entrance. It is no longer focusing on teppenyaki but they have retained a small section that can seat around 4 people. Also there is a small sushi bar room where you can enjoy a sushi experience up close with the sushi chef.

We were seated in the main dining area where you can order from the a la carte that includes a range of sushi and robata.

We started our lunch with the Cornish crab meat chawan mushi (£12). This is a traditional savory custard flavoured with bonito soup. The taste reminded us of dobin mushi. A light clear soup that is served in a clay teapot which was available at previously known Matsuri and still is on the menu at Ginza Onakada.

The chawan sushi was beautifully steamed and arrived pipping hot at our table. 

The sushi assortments comes in a choice of 8 pieces (£32) or 12 peices (£50). The 12 pieces worked out to be more expensive for each piece of nigiri as it came with more premium fishes. Our selection included one price of o-toro as well as one piece of seared Wagyu beef.

Each sushi was beautiful with good quality cuts including a lovely melt in your mouth o-toro. Even the Wagyu beef melt in your mouth which made it a good pairing as nigiri.

This was follow by Inaniwa chilled udon with prawn and vegetable tempura, served with traditional dipping sauce (£28). The udon was a delight to have which was thinner and flatter than regular udon. It was cooked perfectly to a texture that was not too soft and still has that chewy texture. A dish that is refreshing which make it great for the warmer weather. 

Ginza Onakada serves a selection of meat and seafood from the robata including Kobe beef (ranging from £130 – £145 depending on the cuts) and Japanese Wagyu beef (£71-£86 depending on the cuts). We opted for the Wagyu fillet beef (£86) which was expensive but it was really good. Each piece of beef just melt in your mouth and was truely good piece of Wagyu beef.

So far every dish we had was impressive and each one was organised by the restaurant to come at the right time and in the right order.

However, I was slightly disappointed with dessert selection where there was no traditional Japanese dessert. The choices were more French inspired with the use of Japanese most known ingredients – matcha. Back in the days of Matsuri I would always looked forward to their Fireball ice cream. It is a shame that Ginza Onakada no longer on the menu although this is a dessert for teppenyaki.

Although dessert selection was not attractive we did try the chocolate fondue served with matcha ice cream mochi. I was expecting the chocolate fondue to have a melting centre. However, I am not sure if the restaurant had meant for it not to have a melting chocolate centre or it was over-cooked. 

Overall it was a wonderful experience with impressive service. Apart from the dessert it was good food that was well executed. But dining at Ginza Onakada does come at a price which is not affordable to many of us.

I was there during the 50% off soft launch period and spent around £60 per person including service charge and green tea. This meant on full price we would had to pay around £120 per person. Even with the offer this meal I consider a special treat.

(Menu and prices correct at the time of dining)

Ginza Onakada
15 Bury Street,
London,
UK,
SW1Y 6AL

https://onodera-group.com/uk

Casita Andina

Casita Andina is a Purvian picanterias in London Soho that serve dishes inspired by the Peruvian Andes. The place is small and one where the dishes are great for sharing.

We started off nibbling on avocado fritters (£3.50). There was some seasoning but it was slightly on the bland side. The texture reminded me of banana fritters.

It was then follow by the raw bar with Cobia Titradito (£9) – Farmed black king fish served with pineapple tiger’s milk and nori chilli dust.

From the hot kitchen we tried a variety of the dishes on the menu.

Tamal (£6.50) – pork in a corn dumpling with coriander, onions and tomatoes.

Aji de gallina (£9) – free range chicken served with amarillo chilli, botija olive and quail egg.

Maca Lamb lion (£14) – Annatto marinated lamb sirloin served with garlic uchucuta and spicy cancha powder

Rocoto Rayado (£12) – Skate wing, seco criollo, rocoto chill, queso fresco. It was not exactly what I expected which was minced fish. If you not in to a fishy dish then not one I would recommend to order.

We finished the meal with trying the full range of dessert on the menu.

Choco-sauci (£6.50) – Peruvian Alto El Sol chocolate ball, elderberry gel, chocolate crumble. This is a dessert for the chocolate lover. The rice krispy gives it a crunchy texture that worked well with all the other texture on the plate.

Mango chia & chicha pot (£5) – Mango, chia, purple corn granita. I was not too sure about the flavours which made it my least favourite dessert.

Strawberry and avocado (£5) – Avocado, strawberry, yacon, basil cress. I thought the combinations of all the different ingredients worked well together.

There are a range of drinks including Chicha Morada which is a Peruvian drink made from purple maize. There is also smoothies made up with some interesting ingredient. We tried some of these which had unique flavours and not was all to my taste buds.

Overall I thought the presentation of the food was good. Some dishes I thought was better than other dishes we tried. But each one the combinations of the different ingredients worked well together.

(Menu and prices correct at the time of dining)

Casita Andina
31 Great Windmill Street,
London,
W1D 7LP

http://www.andinalondon.com/casita