Moi

Japanese grill king

Baked Rice, Wild Mushrooms, Cacklebean Egg Yolk

Moi in Soho doesn’t try to ease you in gently. From the moment you step through the door, it feels like you’ve walked into something alive, something a little electric. The room hums with energy, not just from the crowd but from the open grill itself, where flames flicker and flare like part of the performance. You can smell it before you even sit down, that deep, smoky richness that only real fire cooking can deliver. While Moi also does great cold dishes such as sushi and rolls, what really makes this place stand out is the grill dishes. The menu leans heavily into the grill, and rightly so. It’s the beating heart of the kitchen. What stands out is the precision behind the intensity. Nothing feels careless or overdone.

Moi

Tuna Chop Shop

 

140kg Spanish blue thin tuna

Moi in Soho has always felt like a Japanese restaurant that understands restraint. That calm confidence made it the perfect setting for Tuna Chop Shop, a one-off special event that felt less like a themed dinner and more like being invited into a quietly obsessive chef’s personal playground. The menu for the night was centred entirely on a 140kg Spanish blue thin tuna, but not in a predictable “tasting menu flex” way. Instead, it leaned into craft. Cuts were treated with the same respect you’d expect at a serious fish market, but filtered through Moi’s precise, modern cooking. From the first plate, it was clear this wasn’t about luxury for its own sake. It was about understanding the fish fully, from texture to temperature to fat content, and letting each part speak clearly. Relaxed, thoughtful, and quietly confident, exactly what you hope for when a restaurant puts its reputation on the line for a one-off idea.

Moi

Redefining Japanese food in London 

Sashmi of tuna, trout, sea bream and red mullet

Moi sits on a busy Soho street that never really switches off, but stepping inside feels like lowering the volume on the city rather than escaping it entirely. It sits in Soho with the quiet confidence of a place that doesn’t need to announce itself, and that same restraint carries straight through to the food. This is Japanese-inspired cooking that leans into precision rather than spectacle, and the menu reads like a carefully edited statement rather than a list designed to impress by volume. There is a reason why I am back again for Moi for my 3rd visit.

Moi

One-of-a-kind Japanese 

Bluefin Tuna Tataki, Karashi Miso, Grapefruit

A new Japanese-themed restaurant similar to the spirit of Roka and Zuma, the design is bold, heavily featured fine woods with atmospheric lighting, and yet it never feels overly theatrical. The heart of MOI lies in its cuisine: Japanese-inspired, yes, but deeply rooted in British produce and executed with fire, finesse and flavour. The kitchen is led by Andy Cook and head chef Nick Tannett, combining Japanese technique with British sourcing. Part of the charm is the dual nature of the space: the ground-level grill and sushi counter buzz with energy and the aroma of firewood.

Sushi Kyu

Best value omakase experience in London

Horse mackerel

Hidden away on Soho’s Brewer Street, Sushi Kyu offers an omakase experience that feels worlds apart from the bustle outside. With only ten seats wrapped around a pale hinoki-wood counter, this is not the kind of sushi bar that leans on theatrics or showmanship; the atmosphere is meditative, almost hushed, with the chef’s movements providing the only real drama. The food itself is where Sushi Kyu sets itself apart from many of its London peers. The omakase menus—£74.80 for dinner or £51.80 at lunch—strike a sweet spot between accessibility and luxury, especially when compared to Mayfair’s eye-watering sushi counters.

Hannah

 A Slice of Kyoto in Waterloo

Hassun

There have been many high-end Japanese openings recently, but Hannah Japanese Restaurant offers an exquisite Omakase dining experience, blending traditional Japanese Kaiseki with modern innovation. Situated at County Hall, its tranquil ambiance mirrors its culinary philosophy—celebrating seasonal ingredients and the artistry of food presentation. The menu in true Kaiseki form, comes in 11 courses, with a real focus on seafood, as well as dashi stock to create a one-of-a-kind fine dining experience.

Taku

Omakase sushi counter dining

Scallop and caviar

When it comes to dining experiences that combine elegance, tradition, and exquisite flavors, few culinary ventures do it better than sushi omakase, a traditional Japanese way of serving sushi, and that is what Taku is all about. This hidden gem is not just a dining spot; it’s an art gallery where the medium is the freshest seafood and the artist is the sushi chef. Stepping into Taku feels like entering a realm where time slows down, and every detail is tailored to perfection. The menu price can be off-putting, as dinner costs £300 with food alone (no choice chef menu), best come in for lunch instead as that's what I did. 

Niju

 Katei Ryori Sundays

Sasahmi

Nestled in the heart of Mayfair, Niju brings an elegant blend of traditional Japanese cuisine and modern sophistication to London’s culinary scene. I visited in Autumn, and I was delighted with its food offering overall, especially in the seafood department. Since then, Niji has come up with a Sunday lunch menu aimed at sharing, pricing at £65 with a selection of cold dishes for starters, grilled meat for the main and a dessert. It is more or less the greatest hit of its regular ALC menu but at a much more reasonable price.

Niju

Japanese reboot 

Half Cobb Farm chicken ‘katsu’, shredded cabbage, tonkatsu

Nestled in the heart of Mayfair where the short-lived 20 Barkery used to be, Niji is a sophisticated Japanese restaurant that effortlessly blends tradition with modernity. Oversee my master sushi chef Endo San, the menu at Niji is a testament to the art of Japanese cuisine, featuring a range of traditional dishes with a contemporary European twist. While its press release mentions it has a focus on Japanese home cooking, I doubt an average Japanese household would cook lobster, wagyu, and turbot regularly. Over my 2 visits within the space of a week, I managed to try out a large selection of its menu.

Nanyang Blossom

Malaysian themed feast

John Dorey with aged tomato chilli

Nanyang Blossom is a brand-new Malaysian-themed restaurant located in Knightsbridge. What sets this venue apart from the other Malaysian restaurants in London is that it has a much more upmarket approach, is far more creative, and does not shy away from using premium ingredients. Co-owner chef Daren Liew created a range of signature dishes you would not find elsewhere, with an innovative approach and Western influences. For my second visit, I opted for a chef-special bespoke menu, with most dishes coming from its alc menu, as well as Daren's signature offerings.

Nanyang Blossom

Impactful flavours from the Nanyang Ocean 

Grilled abalone salad with caviar and pumpkin

For some reason, London has yet to have an upmarket Malaysian restaurant in London, despite there are so many trending Malaysian restaurants, like Laksamania and Sambal Shiok. Nanyang Bloosom appears to attempt to change that. Located in Knightsbridge with Harrods just around the corner, Nanyang Blossom is a brand new restaurant by chef patron Daren Liew who was the head chef at the short-lived Duddells London and Blue Jasmine in Southhampton. Nanyang Blossom focuses on the rich flavours from the South China Sea, using plenty of spices and herbs to create an aromatic yet contemporary taste, and the menu itself contains plenty of upmarket ingredients, from crab, and lobster to Chilian seabass and Japanese wagyu.

Donia

Fusion Filipino style

Pumpkin and squash lobster

Fusion is a dirty word in the chef world and is something not easy to pull off, so I usually try to avoid any restaurant trying to do fusion. When I first heard about Donia, a pretty new restaurant in Soho that does Filipino cuisine with a Western touch, it sounded like a minefield. However, there are hardly any Filipino restaurants in London and it is a cuisine that I would like to explore more, and after some very positive reviews from the press, plus the menu from its website looked appealing, I decided to give it a go. The menu is spread between snacks, starters, mains and desserts, a very Western-style approach.

Endo at the Rotunda

The London sushi benchmark?

Trio of tuna

I rarely splash my cash on Japanese fine ding as it is the most expensive cuisine in London, and most places would set you back more than £250 per person when factor in service. For that very reason, I would need to make sure if I do go for Japanese, it has to be worth my dosh and my time. I had an excellent meal at Roketsu in 2022 which specializes in kaiseki cuisine, but also a really underwhelming sushi meal at Roji. Among the foodies' community, Endo is supposed to be the peak of sushi in London and I would love to test that theory. It serves an omakase blind-tasting menu only, you would not know what to get till you get there.

Roketsu

 The peak of Kaiseki in London

Scallops, lobster, seabream, sole

Top-class Kaiseki-style Japanese cuisine is hard to come by in the UK, and in fact, besides the Michelin-starred Umu, I can't think of another kaiseki restaurant in London. Launched in January 2022, Roketsu is a one-of-a-kind Kaiseki restaurant. It goes to the very traditional route instead of trying to engineer the cuisine to be more local friendly. The interior was built in Japan and transferred to the UK, with only 10 seats in the dining room along with an open kitchen, run by chef-owner Daisuke Hayashi. It offers a fix priced 10-course menu, mostly based on seafood.

Roji

Omakase sushi den

Grill char and chestnut

I will always take notice when a countering dining style Japanese restaurant open in the UK based on omakase sushi. Roji, the 10 seats sushi counter is by the Japanese restaurant group Chisou, and is headed up by the husband and wife team Tamas Naszai and Tomoko Hasegawa. While it is branded as a sushi restaurant, the strange thing about it is that half of the fixed price £150 menu contained a selection of sushi, while there are 6 courses of Japanese fusion-styled small plates, with soup, cold cut to grill dishes, which seem a little confusing for me.

Sushi On Jones

Value for money omakase in London

O taro, wagyu and caviar

When you seek proper Japanese sushi done in the traditional authentic way, omakase is the way to go. The concept is similar to a western tasting menu, with the chef deciding what to offer you based on the best ingredients he or she could get hold of. Sushi on Jones from the USA picked on that concept with an 'American fast food' approach, with fast pace sushi done in omakase style, done within an hour. It has set up an overseas site in London, not far from Kingcross tube station inside a food court. Unlike its USA counterpart, the London site sticks to a more traditional approach, with well sourced seafood from all around the world.

Sushi Kamon

Omakase, casual sushi style

Raw fish selection for the omakase

Fine quality sushi is hard to come by in London. Back in Japan, a high-end sushi restaurant would normally host no more than 10 people per seating, with a chef offering a set menu (omakase) to the guests, with everything created in front of the guests, and is considered a luxury experience in Japanese culture. In London, there are less than 5 sushi bars that offer something similar, but all at a sky-high price north of £100 per person easily. Opened by the Yashin restaurant group, Sushi Kamon is somewhat operating against the trend of having a sushi bar inside a food court, in an informal manner and a set menu at £45 for 10 sushi. 

Koy Shunka Baecelona

The height of Japanese cuisine in Europe?

Canapes of mackerel, monkfish skin, dashi

Cay Tre Soho

Beyond the Vietnamese norm

Sapa style rice roll, with grilled pork belly

When we talk about Vietnamese cuisine, people will most likely think of spring rolls and pho, but there is so much more. Beyond the most famous Vietnamese dishes, there are so many unknowns for your average joe, many Vietnamese restaurants in the UK play it safe and only serve the typical dishes. Cay Tre Soho is one of the rarer places that offer beyond the standard. On the menu, you will find plenty of authentic dishes such as rice rolls and fish stew, an ideal place for anyone who would like to explore Vietnamese cuisine further.

Singapore Garden

Singaporean classic

Black pepper butter crab

I have eaten at many Chinese restaurants in London, but I am keen to explore other South East Asian food, yet I was struggling to find what is considered to be an authentic  Singaporean/Malaysian restaurant. Iconic dishes such as black pepper crab and chicken rice are just some of those dishes I really missed since these dishes are not as widely available in the UK compared to Chinese food. I came across Singapore Garden after being recommended by a local Malaysian chef, so I had high hopes that it will turn out to be a spectacular discovery.