Japanese Takeaway - Edomae Sushi, Sashimi and Chirashi

[rkhor]

Hello,

I?m thinking of starting a Japanese take-away that focuses only on Edomae sushi, sashimi and chirashi. This means raw fish only which I feel is poorly represented by the various chain restaurants we see on the high street. My desire to pursue this stems from my interest and passion for the cuisine and the difficulty in finding an authentic Japanese restaurant or takeaway nearby.

I?m starting this thread in hope to gauge the level of public interest. I would be very keen to hear from those who love the idea and equally keen to hear from those who think it is a horrible idea. I do appreciate that by only offering raw fish, I would be limiting the level of interest. I am only considering this for now as that?s where my passion lies and I feel that this is the area where the cuisine is more poorly represented presently. Of course I appreciate the existence of wonderful places such as The Araki, but that?s at a different league.

Any thoughts?

[fishbiscuits]

Well loads of people love sushi, but to state the obvious, it's all about the balance of price and quality.

The closest Japanese restaurants I can think of do nigiri at around ?2 per piece. If you can match that price point and beat the quality, you could be onto a winner. If it's significantly more expensive, I think most people will find it's too pricey. Bear in mind you'll probably need at least 20 pieces for a dinner for two.

[rkhor]

Thank you very much for your reply an opinion. It is very much appreciated. I can appreciate pricing is very important. In terms of pricing it will obviously be dependent on the fish. For example Otoro will be priced differently from Chutoro and different from Akami. Bluefin tuna will cost differently from Yellow fin. I want to provide ?value? at the end of he day,so that the average person can experience an authentic version of Edomae sushi. To be honest, it?ll probably going to be more expensive than ?2 per nigiri but not significantly more. Nigiri will be from ?2 and mostly be beteeen ?2-?3. Special pieces where the raw ingredients are more expensive like scallops, octopus, otoro will of need to feed through to the end price. But my true intention is that the increased quality outweigh the marginally higher cost and still provide value.

[NewWave]

I really rate the sushi place on Lordship Lane-Its excellent quality and really fresh.

I love Sushi and Sashimi and lived in Tokyo and New York for awhile where I ate it daily.

I would utterly love a small Japanese takeaway in our area I think it would do very well.

especially if it was fresh and thickly sliced

(I find chains such as Wasabi, Itsu,and Yo Sushi pretty grim-Wasabi sushi especially is grim!)

I think it would be good if like in tokyo it had a small bar in the window with stalls (you only need a few) where people could stop and eat a bite at lunchtime.

Theres a good place like this in Shorditch (can't remember name..its on Hanbury street opposite All Saints-maybe its called Japanica?)

good luck!

Where would you be opening this btw?

[rkhor]

Thanks for sharing NewWave, can I ask if you are referring to Yama Momo on Lorsahip Lane? I?ve been there and also to their sister restaurant Tsunami.

To be fully transparent, I?m hoping to start a small business from home initially in 2019 and priced accordingly (with appropriate licensing of course). First, I would like to gauge the level of interest and build some customer base. Secondly, starting a starting a new restaurant will be a huge financial commitment and I should wait until the right commercial property comes around and when I?m confident that there is sufficient customer base to finance the rent, business rate, insurance, employee(s), etc. But you?ve described exactly what I would love to have. A small sushi bar, no more than 10 seats serving Omakase all day, preferably with the ?sado? hospitality basis.

[flocker spotter]

used to be a Sushi outlet at Moxons on a saturday. not cheap but OK quality.

eta- yes, a decent sahimi/ sushi outlet would be great in the area.

[LondonFigures]

flocker spotter Wrote:

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> used to be a Sushi outlet at Moxons on a saturday.

> not cheap but OK quality.

>

> eta- yes, a decent sahimi/ sushi outlet would be

> great in the area.

Having a good quality sushi takeaway would be fantastic.

Perhaps teaming up with Moxons would be a good idea for your first entry into the takeaway world?

[Dom Johnston]

I love a Japanese takeaway. I'd be interested to see what non-fish items you will have available.

[rkhor]

Thanks for the idea. I will definitely check out Moxons. I heard that they source their fish from Billingsgate market but don?t know for sure.

Don Johnston, no plans at the moment to introduce non-fish item at the moment. Apologies. I want to be sure of doing edomae sushi well before expanding to a wider range.

[NewWave]

Yes Yama Momo..really god sashimi and sushi.

I must be honest that my OH and I never get food delivered, though I know many do.

Therefore I would not use a delivery only service prefering to get a take-away from a bricks and mortar space.

Why don't you try doing a pop up somewhere?

They do that now and again at StDavids Coffee shop in Forest hill but I'm sure theres other cafes who do evening pop ups?

[se22cat]

There's only two main suppliers of raw fish suitable for sushi in London, so you won't have much choice about the price of that. Would be good if you used actual Japanese rice.

As for me, well, my wife is Japanese, so my needs in that area are already covered. Wish a decent Korean restaurant would open up nearby though : )

[rkhor]

Thank you NewWave for your honest opinion. Will definitely note this.

Yes se22cat, all ingredients will be Japanese as I very much want to maintain the authenticity of the food. You are right in terms of supplier and I?m going with the largest Japanese supplier in the UK in terms of sourcing.

[edcam]

Definitely interested in more sashimi, less sushi.

[NewWave]

edcam Wrote:

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> Definitely interested in more sashimi, less sushi.

Ditto!

[Rouge_2000]

Funny I was just thinking that sushi would be lovely tonight. I think it's a great idea and would be welcomed!

[fishbiscuits]

I think Yama Momo is OKish, but a) it's not really Japanese food, b) I don't really rate their sushi. I'd hope the OP can do better than that.

If it's going to come to around ?50 for two people... it kind of pushes it into "special treat" category, rather than something I'd get often. But would definitely try it.

(btw... isn't octopus usually one of the cheaper sushi options?)

[beansprout]

Ditto...

[rkhor]

Thank you everyone for your input.

[micromacromonkey]

I would love to see a decent sushi/sashimi place open up round here :)

[prit]

I agree with fishbiscuits Re yama momo.

The takeaway stand outside moxons was a Japanese catering company and not connected to the shop apart from renting that spot. (& gave my sis food poisoning!)

Edo in se19 is better/more authentic although sometimes misses the mark.

Rkhor, I'd deffo be a customer.

Newwave's pop up suggestion is a great idea for testing the market. Keep us posted.