Daily lunch midday–2.30pm, dinner 6pm–11pm
Having just been awarded the accolade of fifth best restaurant in London by Time Out magazine, sushi bar Yashin is one of the hottest tables in town. But at this chic establishment it’s not a table you are after, it’s one of the 13 coveted stools positioned around the sushi bar where you can watch the masters at work slicing, rolling and blowtorching – yes, that’s right, blow-torching.
The intimate venue is set over two floors. The light and airy upstairs boasts the open kitchen and the cozy downstairs area offers a buzzy atmosphere with lots of smaller tables.
Despite its new-found fame, the staff are welcoming and accommodating and happy to guide you through the confusing and alien experience which sushi can be.
We started with an entry bottle of white; a New Zealand Sauvignon (£28) which was light and fruity and set to compliment the delicate fish to follow. The wine prices start at £28 and accelerate sharply into the hundreds.
When asked for his recommendations our friendly, knowledgeable waiter suggested the yose tofu (£6.20) from the appetizer menu – not a dish we would ordinarily jump at but who were we to decline expert advice. For many, tofu is something we inflict on ourselves in the pursuit of the annual detox, but the secret to making it edible is well kept. The intriguing chalk-white substance arrived, accompanied by gelatinous fish stock jellies which we were instructed to sprinkle on top; as we did the jellies transformed in to a warm, translucent liquid coating the bowl of delicately silken tofu. As we both tentatively tasted a modest spoonful we turned to each other wide-eyed; it was divine. We had never experienced tofu like it. They had won us over already, my dining partner Karen exclaimed, ‘Any restaurant that can make tofu taste like that is five-star in my books.’ I agreed and continued to scrape the bowl bare. The wagyu carpaccio (£13.50) was also striking, with a delicate, smoky sauce enveloping the tender beef.
Main courses at Yashin take the form of traditional omakase plates and are available in various sizes (omakase is a selection of sushi chosen by the chef). We modestly chose the smallest plate before sitting back, sipping the delicious wine and watching the magic happen.
The friendly chefs who seem somewhat bemused by their sudden celebrity status started preparing our main course with an obsessive perfection. Sitting at the sushi bar you can’t help but fall in love with the cuisine; so perfect, so precise and surprisingly theatrical. For the finalé, a large, ornate polished tree stump provides the stage on which each delicate morsel is lightly coated with soy or an alternative mixture before being blow-torched. We found this technique released a hidden depth of flavor in the fish, giving a subtle smokiness at times.
You can’t help but notice the distinct absence of soy sauce. This is explained by the restaurant’s motto which graces the main wall in the form of a neon sign; ‘Without soy sauce – but if you want to’. It urges the customer to try the delicate pieces before automatically presuming the need to dowse them in soy sauce, as we so often do in England.
I think this was probably the first time I had eaten sushi with no soy at all and it was a revelation; the fish was so tender and fresh, the rice so delicate and moist, for the first time the flavours sang for themselves – although this was clearly no ordinary sushi.
For sushi fans, Yashin is the must-visit restaurant for 2011. To really capture the true essence of this extraordinary restaurant get there early and claim your seat at the bar, order from the omakase menu and don’t even think of reaching for the soy!
