We were looking for a quality Japanese restaurant to celebrate a birthday dinner, and when I found…read morethis one it sounded great... but they were all booked up for the evening when I tried to book a reservation. We decided to stroll over in person and see if it was a possibility anyway, and they were friendly and accommodating -- offered us a table as long as we could vacate in 1.5 hours (after which we could move to the bar area if we wished, which has open seating and full menu.) We got cocktails (the geisha one was very good) and opted for the Hana menu, a pre-set chefs menu that was just perfect. Everything on the menu was delicious, beautifully presented, and a great variety of food: sashimi, tempura prawns and vegetables, wagyu beef, eggplant, miso, a variety of sushi rolls, and dessert. Perfect amount of food and very luxurious. The only reason I dock one star is because it is pretty expensive (but any high-quality Japanese place is going to be pricey... this one is just a little more than average, with the most overpriced items being the wine, sake, and cocktails), but the service, atmosphere, and food were great.

London Restaurant Month has come back around again so myself and some friends decided to take…read moreadvantage. This years venue for us would be Sake No Hana, the little sister of Michelin starred Chinese restaurant, Hakasan. Sake No Hana is modern Japanese cuisine done very, very well. I'd had plenty of "Japanese" food in my life; sushi, chicken Katsu etc. I had never been to a proper Japanese restaurant and had high end food. This was my chance. The deal was as follows: 5 courses from a set menu and half a bottle of wine per person. All for the princely sum of £35 (excluding service). As you can see from the menu you pretty much get a choice of vegetables or fish. For my choices I had the maguro tartare to fukiyose, the fish gohan selection and kisetsu tempura moriawase. First off was the best miso soup I had ever had. On the menu it is misoshiro - white miso soup. A great, light starter to get your appetite going. With small strips of inari and seaweed. The next course was 3 small portions; a tuna tartare, fried rice ball and vegetable crisp "salad". Much like an amuse bouche, it continued the theme of getting us ready for the main course. The vegetable crisps were lovely; earthy and crunchy. It included carrots and lotus root, which I had never tried before but very much liked. The tuna tartare was fantastic. It was peppery and brilliantly seasoned. The rice balls were a little stodgy but the accompanying sauce was sweet and rich. Next was the sushi course. 6 pieces, 2 each of spicy maguro maki (spicy tuna, tobikio and cucumber), chirashi maki (salmon, white fish and shiitake) and inari maki (fried tofu and caramelised onions). As you can see it was beautifully presented and it wasn't long before they'd all been polished off! The main for me was tempura prawn and vegetables. Crispy and not at all greasy, this was the best tempura I'd ever had. I especially enjoyed the squash which was nice and sweet with that perfect crispy exterior. Both of my friends had the salmon. There's not a lot to say about it other than it was served on a large leaf and cooked absolutely perfectly. Dessert was the same for all of us. A delicate sponge cake soaked in a syrup and served with preparations of peach; raw, sharp peach, raw, soft, sweet peach and peach sorbet. I was a big fan of this. So much so that when one of my friends wasn't keen I ate his too! Sake No Hana is a wonderful, modern restaurant with fantastic food and brilliant attentive staff. My glass, wine or water, never ran dry and they were always on hand to help. In fact, I don't think I've ever been to a restaurant that had such a high customer to staff ratio! It's definitely a dining experience I would recommend even if it's not one that I would probably do again. Nothing against the restaurant at all, more that I like to explore and try new things. If you can visit Sake No Hana on a tasting menu or similar you would be silly not to give it a go! Either that or at least go to their amazing bar!

Yo Sushi ain't bad. It's a chain, but nothings wrong with that, most places are anyway. An…read moreattraction is the fact that you're surrounded by a moving conveyor belt with sushi rolling past you every moment. It's a very exciting and sometimes nerve racking experience for people like me who want to try every single thing, but aren't sure if the next thing will be better, or which to choose, or 'oh that looks pretty!'... oh lord so many options!!! It's a cool idea, and we liked almost all the sushi we had, though it's nothing AMAZING. If you haven't seen something wander by you within a certain amount of time you can also order something straight from the waiter. Win, win WIN. oh yeahhhh

I decided I needed something more satisfying and more healthy than a samosa from the shop between…read morethe platforms at Baker Street station. Quite a tough call because you need to touch out through the barriers to get to this relatively new addition to the Yo! family. It doesn't look all that great from the outside but once inside you forget you are on a really ugly corner on one of London's most disappointing streets. I probably should have taken my time and sat down along the conveyor belt - they have a January offer of £2.70 a plate! Instead I picked one of the remaining pre-packed takeaway selections and ordered my favourite Yo! rolls (£4.00 for two, not exactly a bargain). Yo! never disappoints though and I enjoyed my sushi treat once I got home. Unlike Wasabi you get your soy sauce, wasabi and pickled ginger thrown in.

Came here in the late afternoon and grab a quick bite. The place is takeaway only. The food was…read morevery affordable. Potion size was good nice variety inside the bowl. The karaage chicken was good! Underneath there was rice and noodles. I would definitely come back for some cheap eats!

Conveniently located right outside of Farringdon Station, Mugen has got to be some of the best…read moreJapanese food in all of London. I must say, upon arriving in the UK I was not impressed by their sushi here. That is, until I stumbled across Mugen! As it is takeaway, I saw a line formed outside the door during one of my lunch breaks, and figured I should check it out. After the office one Friday evening, I grabbed one of their Veggie curry boxes. It was incredible. I never usually opt for Veggie curry at Japanese restaurants but this was a very pleasant experience for my mouth. I also tried their coconut bun, as I am a big fan of coconut nowadays, and it was delicious as well! 10/10 I recommend Mugen!

I love this little tiny Japanese restaurant. You have to pay attention to find it as is really…read moresmall: literally just one table and the counter. It's more a take away place, but the two times I've been I stayed there. They cook is very nice and, even if they close at 21:00, he let's you stay later if you've ordered food. Gyozas, sushi, makis... everything I've tried so far is been really good. The fish is fresh and you see how he makes everything in front of you. Everything with duck on it has an amazing taste. And for less than £15!!!! I'll be back as I've seen some noodles for only £4 and I want to try them!

I've been very happy with the sushi places in Putney and didn't really think much when I saw this…read moreplace open a few years ago. However a few times I've walked by during lunch and dinner time and it was packed! People literally barely having a place to stand to place their sushi order. We got there quite early for a Friday night after work and luckily there wasn't much of a wait. I ordered the tuna avocado roll and watched how the guy picked some good ingredients but also huge cuts of fish. It is 6 pieces really big pieces in your roll and do like that it is made to order. Very impressed. I like how it comes with soy, wasabi and ginger - no additional costs for each item. I will definitely be back when I have a sushi craving!

Had TWO horrible lunches here. What is great about this place is how efficient their ordering…read moresystem is. Even with the huge lunch rush everyones orders were delivered quickly. That's about it. The staff are horribly rude and unpleasant to deal with. The food is atrocious. I tried the mushroom chili fried rice which was oily and the most bizarre texture. Another time I tried the ramen noodles with the lemongrass coconut broth. The broth was vile and the noodles were overcooked and mushy. I can't imagine why it's so busy because the food is really not worth it.

I've walked by Japanese Canteen many times on either end of the lunch rush and always thought it…read morelooked like a pretty poor effort. Spartan walls and seating, a menu that looks like it was slapped on as an afterthought with paper flyers adding a few new dishes that just didn't fit anywhere else, and staff that looked like they were just as likely to slap you upside the head as they were to serve you. But damn, this place comes alive during that magical 12-1pm lunch hour. You know those scenes in movies right before the 3 o'clock bell rings to let out school? It's eerily still and quiet, a random frog croaks in the distance, and the scene just screams out for something, anything to happen. Suddenly, BAM, there are people everywhere shouting, talking, and generally participating wholeheartedly in the chaos of everyday life. That's just what happens to Japanese Canteen during the lunch rush with every seat the slightly cavernous space taken, people propping their food on the smallest surface capable of supporting it, and lines out the door. And then as the hour ends, everyone just fades away. The staff are still a far cry from warm and friendly, but they are coldly efficient and mow through the line at rapid speed. The kitchen (hidden behind the wall with a small door the only connection to the dining area) is likewise filled with hyperactive chefs dishing out meals almost faster than the 4 person wide queue can order. I'm slightly concerned as to what goes on back there and I think the trend towards more open kitchens is the way to go. For lunch though, I'm content to get in and out as fast as possible so not much of a gripe. Price-wise, it's a bit expensive and slightly smaller portion than the nearby Wasabi when it comes to katsu curry. A regular portion will cost you £6.95 with a large portion requiring a £3 supplement. JC does offer a choice of chicken, pork, or prawn and sticks a good amount of veggies into their sauce which gives it a one-up on Wasabi. I wonder what else they put in though as I had a slight allergic reaction for a few hours after eating it and I'm not allergic to any food as far as I know... Thinking back, I'm not sure I'm really up for the mania and price of JC for lunch as £7 can buy you a helluva lot more food at Porterford Butchers just down the street. Still, if you are craving katsu curry it's likely to be your best bet in the area.

Excellent Asian fusion sushi - don't come here expecting only "authentic" Japanese rolls, though…read morethere are plenty on offer if that's what you're craving. The atmosphere is very low-key with the primary colour tables bringing some luncheonette vibes, but it's BYOB and the food is amazing, so who cares? For starters, the wasabi mayo prawns are excellent, as is the spicy salt & pepper soft shell crab. Their gyoza is nice too but I've never met a gyoza I didn't like. For sushi, the box sets are a good value - I've tried the Norwegian box and the sushi roll set, and they're both amazing with larger portions than you would expect. Out of the special rolls, the Dragon roll has my heart but the Norwegian roll makes a close second. If you're noticing a trend here, yes, I really love salmon and tobiko. I love this place, definitely my favorite sushi restaurant in London, and it seems to continually exist as a hidden gem that almost always has a free table whenever I drop in... knock on wood.

Was visiting London (Canary Wharf) for work and had a craving for sushi. I was also sick of all of…read morethe food in our area. Found this great little hole in the wall. Go for the sushi and skip the other stuff. Rolls were good. Nigiri (eel and salmon) were actually really fresh. BYOB / BYOW.

After my trips to the western seaboard of the USA, I so miss good sushi back in London. There are…read morejust such a profusion of simple sushi restaurants in San Francisco and Seattle serving top class fresh fish. Places like Nobu and Roka are of course great but prohibitively expensive for everyday dining. I was therefore intrigued when a friend recommended Maki Yaki to me recently. It had opened on the site of a Korean restaurant close to my house and I hadn't bothered to investigate its menu properly. Well, my search for an affordable SW London equivalent of the small high quality USA sushi restaurant is over. They serve a limited menu which is a good sign. There are some starters divided into cold and warm sections. I had a nice kara age - soft moist chicken deep fried and served with a piquant sweet sauce. I then continued with one of their combination dinners - miso soup and salad served with some of their lovely fish. My selection came with tuna and salmon sashimi and red dragon roll (deep fried prawn wrapped in avocado and tuna). Lovely fresh ingredients and sweetest fish. My only fear is now for my bank balance! There is a mouth-watering array of different rolls to try as well as teriyaki and tempura dishes. I'm also going to bug them to add toro to the menu!

Maki Yaki is a nice little sushi restaurant just up Merton rd. from the South Wimbledon tube…read morestation. It's pretty convenient for anyone in between South and regular Wimbledon stations. The majority of the menu is dedicated to their sushi roll creations. I've been back twice now because they were so good. The rolls are not very traditional, but more a western take on sushi as the manager is from California. Still delicious and they do the more simple nigiri dishes as well. I would recommend it for a casual meal, it's decently priced and has a quiet atmosphere. You'll walk away full for about £20 and two people can share 3-4 rolls. I definitely will be back when the sushi-mood strikes.

My sister and I were craving some cantonese food, the type you find in those restaurants which have…read morebeen operating since before the hipster revolution. This place is great, they have all of the traditional starters such as Sesame Prawn Toast and Battered King Prawns, which go so well with chilli sauce. Since we had stuffed ourselves with starters, we opted for chicken with green peppers and black bean sauce, with Egg Fried Rice of course. If you are looking for 'no frills' cantonese food, then this place is recommended. The service was polite and friendly too. The price is very reasonable, it's a great place to go.

Chan's. Yum. While…read morestaying with my grandparents for a few weeks in East Ham, I got tired of eating at home. My Aunt is obsessed with Chan's and sings its praises whenever she gets a chance (for a short time, she used to frequent this place almost every week). I walked to Chan's as it was getting dark, slightly nervous that I wasn't going the right way. When I entered, I saw a tiny (really) restaurant with plenty of tables full of people eating happily. It's a good sign when the type of food served in a restaurant is being devoured by people of the same ethnic group, it gives you a feeling that you can trust the place. I got my food to go. A heaping vegetarian dish and rice. The prices were fair and everything was packed perfectly. I relished it at home that night and the next. Everything was excellent. What got me was the service. Although the man taking my order had never met me, he was concerned about my walk home and offered to call me a cab. He advised me (since as an American I was clearly out of my element) that the area wasn't great to be alone in at night and wanted to make sure I got home safely. Since I didn't know my address heart, I didn't have a chance to take him up on the offer and walked home. Chan's isn't the type of restaurant that stuns you with high ceilings or decor or exciting lighting. They focus on the food and their customers. It is a restaurant of people who come with their families continually. I will be back the next time I am in East Ham.