atari-ya, london

great japanese food at swiss cottage. this was my birthday dinner and I love love japanese food. there’s something so calming and clean about the tastes, and yet it covers the entire spectrum of flavours. I had actually planned to go to yashin this year as I’ve read great things about it – but then the most-planned things don’t always happen, and that’s not such a bad thing either.

this isn’t my first time at atari-ya, and we fancied coming here was of greater value than going to yashin which would be technically perfect, but atari-ya is one of the famous importers of japanese high-grade fish in london and so why not just go to the source if you’re hankering after some great sushi/sashimi?

everything we had was great, and the photos up there is an assortment of sushi, sashimi, salmon jaw (which I highly recommend as it came as a huge fillet), tempura (battered prawns), agedashi tofu (fried battered tofu immersed in dashi), and a glass of the best sake I’ve had to date. it was a special unfiltered sake they were advertising, and I recommend it if you’re going to visit atari-ya soon. it was murky and thicker than typical sake, and oh-so-good.

one more recommendation: get your spider roll (or soft-shell crab roll for all you who aren’t familiar with japanese food) inside-out and rolled with tobiko. the juxtaposition of crunch eggs and crispy moist soft-shell crab is amazing.

head here! or don’t (and then I wouldn’t have to make reservations).