Open Mon–Fri 11.30am–3.30pm, Mon–Wed 6pm–10pm, Thu–Fri 6pm–11pm, Sat 11.30am–11pm, Sun midday–10pm
On first inspection this branch of the popular sushi chain, Feng Sushi, looks more like a take-away but discreetly nestling upstairs lies a modest, tranquil green dining area overlooking the hustle and bustle of Notting Hill through herb-fringed windows.
As we waited in the foyer to be seated I could not help but feel eyes burning into me. I turned to see a waitress staring at me so intensely that eventually I had to ask if she was OK. She apologised and burst into a fit of endearing giggles; confused I headed upstairs.
As we sat at our table we perused the drinks menu which offered a small but pleasant selection of wines and sake as well as more novel creations such as flowering teas and Japanese cocktails. ‘May I take your drinks order?’ asked the grinning waiter. ‘An iced tea please’ I replied. ‘Sorry no iced teas as summer never came’ he replied with an exuberant smile. ‘Fair enough… A flowering tea then, please’ I asked, ‘We don’t have flowering teas because summer never came’ he replies matter of factly. I stare at my friend, bemused, before asking him to recommend a cocktail. ‘We don’t have cocktails because…’
‘Because summer never came?’ I interjected. He agreed with his signature smile. I stared at him in silence for a few minutes wondering A. How these three very different drinks were in any way linked to summer and B. Whether there was any point attempting to order yet another drink and C. If we were being set up for some low rent TV stitch-up show. Eventually we gave up and ordered a couple of Feng lemonades (£2.50) which, to be fair, were totally delicious.
We scanned the bountiful food menu, bowled over by the enormous selection and generous portion sizes. We didn’t know where to start; dare we ask our friendly waiter? ‘Excuse me; my friend is vegetarian. What would you recommend?’ I asked cautiously, expecting to be told half the menu had also emigrated for sunnier climes. He excitedly pointed to the bento box. I took a deep breath before pointing out it not only did it contain copious amounts of fish but also a significant portion of duck. He gave a satisfied little laugh and replied, ‘Yes, but it is not the normal kind of duck; it’s the type you get in Chinese pancakes’. After staring gobsmacked at each other for a few minutes, we descended into stunned hysterics and decided it was probably necessary to hit the bottle, so rapidly ordered a glass of house white (£4.50).
Having calmed ourselves down we ordered; miso soup (£2) to start followed by a mixture of tempura, sushi and sashimi. The miso soup had a good texture but was lacking in ingredients with only a couple of pieces of tofu and the odd strand of seaweed. After a while the gazing waitress from earlier came over and in a somewhat scary manner announced that the grinning waiter had forgotten to put our order through and left us in another fit of giggles. Minutes later our food arrived, presented beautifully on impressive platters. Natalie’s avocado maki (£4.25) were deliciously creamy. The rice was soft and moist, a sign of good fresh sushi. My favourite dish, however, had to be the tempura tiger prawns (£10); three warm, moist, meaty prawns in a delicate yet slightly doughy batter with a beautifully sweet dipping sauce – perfection.
The unusually named x-ray salad (£6) was fresh, crisp and colourful, combining seasonal peppers, pomegranate, edamame beans, avocado and leaves – a fab choice for those on a health kick. It was served with a deliciously light and fruity dressing which I loved; I did not however love it enough to want the giggling waitress to pour it all over my brand new cardigan, open bag and phone. The grinning waiter apologised for her and said that she was feeling ‘very ill tonight’ – just what you want to hear about a lady who has been serving your food all evening.
Despite the totally insane behaviour of the staff, the food at Feng Sushi is insanely good with a huge amount of choice, high quality fresh ingredients and generous portions. For this reason I would highly recommend taking advantage of their reader offer of 20 per cent off your first delivery order.
Dinner for two, with wine, around £60.
