surely we need sushi

[Jeremy]

So Snorks, where is the best Sushi in the south, then? I've had some awesome sushi in central and north London (particularly Asakusa in Camden), but nothing special in south London.

I think the place in Crystal Palace is called Edo. Or are there two places there?

[snorky]

yer right - a head full of sushi at the mionuite - its edo

I dont rate Sarf London for sushi TBH :-(

[mamafeelgood]

i'd settle with an itsu, if it's good enough for vogue house it's good enough for LL

[bald marauder]

Itsu's OK, not awesome.

I think Matsuri Holborn, although not by any means cheap, is one of the best value Japanese restaurants in London.

The service is good, all chefs and staff seem Japanese, food quality is really very good (for this country) and the interior is clean, modern and simple (without trying to be trendy). The sushi is great, and they have pretty much the only really nice uni(sea urchin) of any Japanese restaurant I've been to (apart from maybe Ubon, but I've only been once and don't think I tried the uni there).

OK, I know I might sound a bit 'up my own arse' about the finer points of raw fish, but Mrs Marauder is Japanese and I've been to Japan about 10 times so I reckon my taste buds are pretty good on this stuff.

Anyway, even with the recent Times article documenting the arrival of city cash buyers in ED (see other thread on EDF) I think Matsuri is too high end to survive in ED - I for one couldn't afford to go regularly. Then again, if Franklins can survive...I guess it depends how many people REALLY like sushi?

[mockney piers]

Feng Sushi's pretty nice by borough market, that's south of the river.

[snorky]

best VFM Sushi in London ?

IMHO its Tajima Tei on leather lane nr.hatton Gdn.

[bald marauder]

Tajima Tei is indeed good, an old favourite in fact, but I think Pham has the edge...

[Jo]

Just wanted to say arigatou for the nod to Pham sushi, bald marauder - will definitely give it a try. Might be a struggle to top the breakfast sushi I had in Tsukiji but then it would be...

Agree about the need for a proper japanese chef - it's tiring finding koreans in kimono serving up sad sushi. The trouble is that the appetite for japanese food is much bigger than the appetite for korean food so I guess they're just trying to make money. Are you sure Mrs M doesn't want to open a restaurant? ;)

[bald marauder]

Haha, well, Mrs M is indeed a good cook - though sushi is not her speciality - but she doesn't even cook enough for me, never mind availing her services to the lovely residents of ED! Plus little baby M isn't really old enough to allow the 24/7 immersion that setting up a new restaurant would take. It would be a great thing to do though, but we would definitely need backers...

Breakfast at Tsukiji, now that would be nice, though I always found the sushi was so BIG as well as being so fresh...kind of the equivalent of a 'builders breakfast' for all the market workers after their shifts I guess. Mmmmm..... (sighs nostalgically)

BTW, if you do go to Pham, remember to ask specifically ffor the crunchy tuna roll - it's not on the menu - I think it might be a dish that the chef 'stole' from Nobu (where he used to work...)

[bald marauder]

Oh, BTW Jo, most of the staff in Pham are not Japanese either, but with a Japanese chef from Nobu, they just about get away with it. Their deep-fried soft shell crab is good too...

Mrs M just asked me to point out (if you didn't already see my earlier post) that you can sometimes get sushi quality fish from Moxons too (better and cheaper than Borough Market in her opinion).

OK, nice weekend everyone, enjoy your sushi if you're having any...

[Michael Palaeologus]

I have never had sushi and I dont like fish much.

Should I not bother?

[fractionater]

:))It would be funny if the old barber shop on the roundabout became a shushi restaurant

[nutty]

I get it - the "eating sushi off a barbershop floor" euphemism :)

[Shu.Kurimu.Sensei]

A lot of the tastiest Japanese dishes are not available in restaurants, even in Japan. Thankfully my better half is an excellent cook, and has even turned her hands to Korean and Italian fare in the last 5 years. Marrying outside the gene pool sure has some great benefits! There's quite a a lot of Japanese cookbooks in English now too so don't be afraid to give it a try..

[Administrator]

Lounged

[Sushi]

Must agree with baldy and mockneyp .... matsuri (means carnival) and feng sushi are both good.

Matsuri does really good tapanyaki downstairs and best of all it is done properly .... the rice will be served seperately from the meat so dont wait for your complete meal. Can particularly recommend current xmas menu .... good mix of food.

Feng sushi is always fresh and well prepared.

I will personally do a dance for the gods when they start selling proper Kobe beef in europe, never mind sushi in ED.

[Annasfield]

Jason, a friend of mine did his doctorate in Japan and loves his sushi. When in Camden we often go to the Bento box on Parkway. Jason reckons it's the best sushi he's had outside of Japan and is better than some of the stuff he's had over there. I love it there too. It is highly recommended.

Really fancy some good Sashimi now :(