Asakusa
265 Eversholt Street,
Camden,
London NW1 1BA
Tel: 0871 3328033
Why? Kazu absolutely loves this place. He’s been raving about the Yudebuta Ninniku Miso.
When? Friday 12th September, 9.40pm. This was the only reservation available a couple days beforehand. We stayed until 12.30pm though!
Impression: The place was really buzzing with youthful mixed-nationality groups when we arrived, rather dingy, with questionable décor. Authentic atmosphere, with Japanese menus up on the walls.
Prices: Cheap as chips! The food just kept coming, as Tanaka ordered more and more. I must admit was getting worried about the cost, especially as we had a gigantic bottle of sake too. In the end I was relived to find it was an affordable £19 per person (including the 12.5% service charge!).
Service: Erm… we did wait a full hour for our first dish to arrive! However, the waiting staff were courteous and efficient. The larger-than-life manager lady was charming.
Description of food and drink: A large bottle of Bishonen (Beautiful Boy) sake went down very well served in overflowing Masu (wooden box cups) with a pinch of salt of the rim.
Of particular note is the Sake Gashira – a salmon head with plenty of meat and a salty, crunchy underside, and the Shimesaba (vingared mackerel sashimi) boasted a melt-in-your-mouth texture. The Yudebuta Ninniku Miso dish was something I’d never tried before: soft, simmered slices of pork, to be eaten wrapped in iceberg lettuce leaves with miso paste and slivers of raw garlic. Lovely. Pleasant Shimeji Bata Yaki butter-fried mushrooms had a bitter aftertaste which I liked.
The tempura was very nice, but the takoyaki less so.
Toilets: Stinky. Nasty. The pink toilet paper matched the pink walls though!
Come again? Absolutely. Overall, a surprisingly wide variety of tasty dishes with a few outstanding ones. We had a really fun evening in the laid-back atmosphere. But I wouldn’t go if I was in a hurry to get served.
raving – literally: わめくこと, but meaning 非常に熱狂的に話すこと
beforehand – あらかじめ
buzzing – literally: ぶんぶんうなること, but meaning にぎやか
dingy – 薄汚い
questionable décor – 不審な装飾
authentic – 本物の
cheap as chips – (idiom イディオム) 非常に安く
erm…- エト…
larger-than-life – (idiom イディオム) 印象的で、か重大な非常に課すこと
boasted –自慢される
courteous –礼儀正しい
bitter aftertaste – 苦いあと味
stinky –臭い
outstanding – 優秀