Sushinoen - unpretentious and affordable Japanese home-style cooking and sushi

Name: Sushinoen

Where: 2 White Church Lane, London E1 7QR, http://www.sushinoen.com/

Cost: Average cost per person is in the region of £30 excluding drinks. Sushinoen offers a range of lunch options including bento box sets from £12.90 to £19.90, sushi bar set menus ranging from £10.90 to £19.90, and several hot dish set meals with rice, a side dish and miso soup partnering hot main courses such as pork katsu curry, or bulgogi for a very reasonable £9.00 to £11.90. It is open seven days a week for lunch and dinner.

About: In London's East End, just off Whitechapel High Street and a stone's throw from Aldgate East station, this cosy, unpretentious Japanese eatery offers authentic Japanese home-cooking style dishes and freshly made sushi.

Two things struck me quite favourably about Sushinoen which reminded me of similar eateries in Japan – it has a very laid back, even a tad shabby, feel about it like an old-fashioned Japanese izakaya (Japanese pub/cafe) somewhere in Asakusa or in some other less salubrious areas of Tokyo. I love those places.

The other was their pricing – it is surprisingly reasonable. It is refreshing to see Sushinoen in London, and I just wished they existed 25 years ago when I arrived here as a student and totally broke, what a contrast from the madly expensive Japanese restaurants in Piccadilly of the time.

What We Ate: We ordered a selection of bread-and-butter Japanese home-cooked dishes as well as some of Sushinoen’s more modern sushi/sahimi offerings. This included the shiro maguro carpaccio, a dish of seared white tuna slices (also known as butterfish or Escolar) with a yuzu dressing (£12.90). This was beautifully presented with little slivers of cherry tomato, the fish was topped with yuzu kosho (a deliciously spicy condiment from Kyushu Island made from chillies, salt and the rind of the yuzu citrus fruit) and fresh wasabi. With a fine and buttery texture and flavour and a lovely kick of heat, this made for a very good start to our meal.

The Aldgate Platter (£27.90) consists of 6 pieces each of assorted sashimi and maki and 5 pieces of nigiri sushi, although I asked for mine to be slightly tweaked to substitute more sushi for the sashimi. The sushi rice was well made and seasoned (the most important aspect of sushi), topped with an assortment of fresh fish and seafood including scallop, sea bream, sea bass, tuna, fatty tuna, salmon and octopus, as well as maki rolls of tuna and California rolls. The platter was well presented and a real pleasure to eat.

We also ordered the Bravo Duo (8 pieces - £16.90) – a Dragon style California roll topped with blow-torched tuna slices, garlic oil, ‘tenkasu’ (the crunchy bits of tempura batter), and tobiko eggs (flying fish roe). This was delicious – crunchy, well seasoned, and lovely.

To follow we had a platter of mixed tempura of fried prawns and vegetables (£9.90) including aubergine, carrot and courgette. I serve tempura often in my Japanese and Nikkei supper club, and hardly ever order it in a restaurant – but I was glad I did at Sushinoen - the tempura batter was light and crisp, the vegetables and prawns fried until just right (retaining still some their bite), whoever is frying that tempura, knows what they are doing.

With the tempura we enjoyed a portion of Katsu Don – breaded pork cutlet served on a bed of rice topped with Japanese sweet omelet (£9.90). I loved this – so simple yet so comforting, home-style Japanese cooking that I grew up with but hardly come by in London.

For dessert, we shared a portion of Sushinoen’s tempura ice cream (£5.50) - a kind of Japanese baked Alaska topped with Anko (sweetened Japanese red bean paste). For me, this dessert didn’t quite work – the ice cream was not of great quality and if it was, the flavour was masked by the tempura batter that encased it.

What We Drank: Green tea (£2.20) and Sapporo beer (£4.35). 

Likes: the sushi was well made, the tempura was also crispy and expertly fried, and a scrumptious dish of butterfish carpaccio. Friendly, informal setting. 

Dislikes: the tempura ice cream was uninspiring.

Verdict: For unpretentious Japanese home-style cooking dishes and well made sushi that will not break the bank, Sushinoen is the real deal. Recommended.

London Restaurant Reviews – Whitechapel Gallery Dining Room

Whitechapel Gallery Dining Room

I have heard some excellent reports on Whitechapel Gallery Dining Room (WGDR) lately, and when I learnt that it had joined TasteLondon, Dr G and I decided to pay it a visit.

The restaurant area is surprisingly small and intimate and sits a maximum of 40 diners. Light and airy, the long vertical mirrors on its walls help to create the illusion of a more spacious dining room.

I like the nearly minimalist, understated but elegant décor reminiscent of a 1950’s Scandinavian home, with its beautiful chairs, parquet flooring and light coloured wood throughout.

Head-Chef Maria Elia, daughter of a West London restaurateur, spent a summer working at El Bulli before her ten year stint at Delfina on London’s Southbank. She joined WGDR following the gallery’s multi-million refurbishment in 2009.

Renowned for her vegetarian credentials (she recently published a book called “The Modern Vegetarian”), Maria Elia is a creative chef who makes the most of seasonal and locally sourced ingredients, and her reassuringly short menu at WGDR, reflects these qualities.

On our visit, Dr G ordered the “Clementine and jupiter marinated quail, bitter leaf and char-grilled radicchio salad” @ £7.50 as a starter. This was an excellent choice – the meat was sweet and tender, with a deliciously citric hint from the clementines, contrasting well with the bitter leaf and radicchio salad.

My choice of “Pan-fried scallops, white bean puree, wild mushrooms” @ £8.25 was also good. The white bean puree and wild mushrooms were a nice addition, but despite being very fresh and meaty, the scallops were slightly over-salted.

I’d hoped my starter had been a one-off, but we soon overheard from the table next to ours about their “nice but a bit salty” scallops.

For main course, I had the “Pot roasted rabbit, confit rabbit baklava, swiss chard, lemon dressing, parsnip skordalia” @ £17.75. This was a beautifully presented dish with some interesting gamey flavours balanced by the zesty lemon dressing, but at nearly £18, we felt the portion was slightly ungenerous for such an economical meat.

Dr G’s “Pan-fried duck breast, creamed lentils, January kings, roasted quince” @ £18.75 was a lovely choice. The duck was cooked to perfection and combined well with the roasted quince. I wasn’t entirely convinced about the texture of creamed lentils, but the flavours were good and, unlike my rabbit, there was plenty of it.

As a side dish, we had “Truffled parsnips and winter leaves” @ £3.75. We were both impressed by the combination of caramelized parsnips and truffle oil - it was a delicious accompaniment to our main courses.

Dr G’s dessert “Rosemary and blood orange crème caramel, citrus salad” @ £5.75 was sensational. A light and delicious dessert with some complex flavours at play.

The “Hot chocolate pudding, cha tea mousse, chocolate dirt” @ £5.75 was also good and rich, with a molten chocolate core.

The wine list, although short, represented the old and new worlds well, with bottles ranging from £13.75 to £64 (most bottles were priced between £16.50 and £30). We ordered a bottle of “Marche Sangiovese 2008” @ £16.50 which was light, fruit driven with a nice balancing acidity, and did not break the bank.

Cost: the total bill was £98 including 12.5% service. We paid £64 after the 50% TasteLondon discount on the food was applied to the bill.

Likes: Elegant and intimate dining room, very friendly service, seasonal and locally sourced ingredients, and some impressive cooking. We were also impressed by how reasonably priced their large bottle of sparkling water was @ £1.

Dislikes: Over-salted scallops, slightly over-priced a la carte, although lunch set menus are excellent value @ £18 (2 courses) or £23 (3 courses) from Tuesday to Sunday.

Verdict: Creative cooking and some very interesting dishes made from local ingredients, served by friendly, efficient staff in an attractive setting. Chef Maria Elia is a good proponent of modern British cooking. Not bad value after the discount.

London Restaurant Reviews - Tayyabs

Tayyabs (Updated on 3rd April 2011)

I have wanted to go to Tayyabs for a very long time but for one reason or another, I never managed to get a table. On one occasion, a couple of friends and I tried our luck without a reservation - as we arrived there we found, as predicted, a very long queue ahead of us. After waiting for 20 minutes or so we gave up, and headed to the nearby Lahore Kebab House.

Last Thursday, I finally made to Tayyabs thanks to the delightful Jennifer and Louise who miraculously managed to book us a table - never underestimate a woman’s power of persuasion I would say! I had first met Jen & Louise at the Bangalore Express tasting a few weeks earlier, and was looking forward to eating and catching up with both again.

We arrived at Tayyabs to find the busiest restaurant I have ever seen – the queue was a tangle of nearly a hundred or so people huddled together, pushing and shoving and looking rather miserable. Despite our booking, we still had to wait a good 40 minutes for our table while others with no booking had to wait even longer.

Our waiter was cheerful and well natured considering the number of diners he had to look after – he patiently took our order and assisted us to open our bottle of wine. Being a Pakistani restaurant, Tayyabs is a BYO restaurant which helps to make it an even more affordable choice.

After a few minutes, two sizzling hot plates, piled high with a selection of the most beautifully char-grilled meats, arrived at our table – the smell was wonderful and we quickly tucked in. The meat was tender and had been perfectly seasoned. It was spicy without being too hot, and combined with the heavenly char-grilled flavours, it made for a sensational dish.

 The selection of meats included “chicken tikka” @ £2.80, “lamb chops” @ £5.50, and “sheekh kebab” @ £0.90 each. Each plate of meat cost £11.90.

To follow the grilled meats, we ordered two curries – “Karahi Chicken” @ £6 and “Allo Meat” (Lamb) @ £6.20.

These were also excellent, as the karahi (like small woks), where the curries were cooked and served, had been blackened by the intense heat and were giving out that perfectly char-grilled aroma.

 

To accompany our mains we also ordered a couple of the vegetable dishes, the “Lahori Chickar Chana” (chickpeas) @ £4.80 and the baby pumpkin or “Tinda Masala” @ £5.

These were fried and served in Karahis, they were both deliciously spicy and had good flavours.

 

We also had “Pilau Rice” @ £2.50, the most scrumptious Peshwari Nan @ £2.50 and a “Garlic Nan” @ £2.

As we brought our own wine, we only shared a large bottle of water @ £2, and a very creamy and delicious mango lassi which @ £2 was a real bargain. By the end of the meal, we were all too full to order dessert so we shared a couple of “Kulfi” (Pistachio ice cream skewers) @ £2.50 each. The ice cream was sensational and I wish I had ordered a whole one for myself!

My experience at Tayyabs has revived my love for Pakistani cuisine, its kebabs and curries. At £67 for a table of 5 or £13.40 per person, Tayyabs is incredibly good value. Despite the chaotic booking system and ludicrous queues, I cannot wait to return to Tayyabs and try all those dishes again.

Verdict – Sensational grilled meats, wonderful Karahi curries and vegetables at very reasonable prices. I cannot wait to return. Highly recommended.

...What Others Are Saying...


Jiang Young on 3rd April 2011: My first time to Tayyabs in Whitechapel, its rated one of the best places for curry in London so I booked for a friend's birthday.  As soon as you enter the restaurant the umistakable smell of the tandoori grill hits you like an unwarranted friend. It goes right up your nose. (And onto your clothes). And your tummy will rumble as soon as you take your seat. Interesting mix of diners: from suited business men to rowdy locals, to quiet couples and big families. Its a nice noisy mess of different people from around London.


When I arrived (shamefully late) at the table my companions were already sipping their tap water and on the table were plates of complimentary onion, lettuce, tomato salads, plates of poppadums and bowls filled with chutney, mint sauce and the like. Spicy spicy but very delicious.


Off the menu we ordered several dishes of lamb karahi gosht,  saag gosht, chicken tikka, 2 orders of samosas, 2 orders of plain and garlic naan...yes we feasted like gluttonous pigs. The lamb was tender with hints of mint and the vegetable samosas had a nice shell, not too oily and as you bit into them...bliss. And because I wanted my saag paneer (yes its not on the menu, what's with that?) I specifically asked for it. Did they have it? Yup. Why wouldn't they? I also ordered Onion Bhajis (fried onions in a wonderful chick pea batter) which I ADORE as well as some raita (yoghurt) to compliment the spicy Lamb tikka. Go off menu, it pays off everytime!