The moist unagi (eel) was a welcome addition, but the other cooked item of boiled prawn was disappointingly bland. Although not the most inspired selection of the lot, the salmon, maguro (tuna), mackerel, yellowtail and ika (squid) were all spanking fresh. The Chirashi lunch set at this tiny Marylebone restaurant specialising in modern sushi and Japanese tapas, came with a handful of edamame, miso soup, and a choice of a tempura or sashimi salad side (I opted for the former). This first installment features Dinings, Defune, Ikeda, Chisou and Sushi of Shiori. To make my posts digestible I will be writing them in parts, each covering five restaurants at a time. So why chirashi? Besides being one of my favourite complete meals in one bowl, the assortment of sashimi and plentiful sushi rice is a good gauge of both the quality (and variety) of fish served at an establishment, as well as the skill of the chef in preparing and seasoning rice. In my quest to uncover some of the best, I am slowly trawling through the city, sampling a string of Chirashi-zushi (raw fish laid over a bed of vinegared sushi rice) lunches at the most talked about sushi-dedicated joints, plus some lesser-known gems. However, if you know where to look there are actually a number of solid options for fresh, well turned out sushi (albeit often at a price). Sure, there’s at least one of the major sushi chains (Itsu, Yo!, Feng etc.) on every high street but those hardly constitute as good sushi, and it’s nowhere near the standard of what can be found in say, Los Angeles or Singapore, never mind Japan itself. A popular complaint from those living in London (especially expats), is that the British capital lacks decent sushi.
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