Sushi

When it came to choosing a sushi restaurant, the only advice I had received was to go for a place where the dishes were prepared to order. So after googling "Japan Centre restaurant", Toku, with its good reviews and convenient location near Piccadilly Circus, seemed like a good punt.

At first glance, the menu appeared incredibly long and decidedly baffling - sashimi, tapas, tempura, both "dynamic" and "classic" sushi, maki, nigiri, bento... However, with a combination of Will's previous knowledge and the kind assistance of the staff, we managed to cobble together a collection of different dishes. I wanted to try as many different things as possible!

First we went for their 7-piece sashimi set, involving salmon, tuna and yellowtail. I learned that a.) sashimi is the raw slices of fish and b.) it's not slimy and grey, it's delicious! My favourite was the yellowtail, because it had a really good initial flavour and was great with soy sauce.

Next we tried some crab tempura with a spicy dip. So, tempura is battered and deep-fried, and crab is very tasty. I was a little worried that I'd be crunching on bits of shell and pincer, but I wasn't.

We also tried some of their "dynamic sushi" - speciality sushi rolls made using things like seaweed, rice and fish. The "Sunshine" was yellowtail with mayo dressing, which was actually a bit of a let-down. Perhaps because it was all very same-y, perhaps there was a bit too much dressing. However, the "Rainbow" dish was my favourite of the whole night - sesame-coated rolls filled with king prawns, avocado, herbs and a range of fresh fish. Om nom nom!

I really enjoyed going out for sushi; it is really tasty and surprisingly filling. I'm glad that I thre myself into it and tried different dishes. To Will's disbelief, I even tried wasabi peas! I will definitely be eating sushi again. In fact, writing this, I kind of fancy some right now...

This if for you if...

If you're a fan of non-spicy, light food. There might well be hotter, spicier dishes available, but there was so much choice that we didn't come across one and still managed a wide variety of flavours.

Recommendations

Go with someone who has been before and, if in doubt, ask the restaurant staff. To avoid ordering too much food, check if you can order a few dishes at the start and then some more later.

Is the seaweed always greener?

What: Sushi
Where: Regents Street, nr Piccadilly Circus
Who: Toku
When: Wednesday, 21st November 2012
With: Will
Why: Sushi seems to be the London lunch. I am reliably informed that my idea of a raw, wriggling, silver scaly fish is inaccurate and that it's actually delicious - so I've decided to find out!