'Asta' (as I like to simply call it) - I have no idea of the '3' moniker, or indeed where the first…read moretwo went - is as genuine a Japanese canteen as you'll find in London. I was lucky enough to, along with a colleague, be taken here on several occasions for a quick lunch by a client (indicative of how welcoming the Japanese are!) By 'genuine' I mean no dumbed-down menus, no super-slick interiors to detract from potentially average food, and no gimmicks of any kind. The place is staffed and run by Japanese nationals as any self-respecting Japanese restaurant should be - and perhaps more importantly, frequented by them regularly, too. Service is smiling and attentive and no more that it needs to be. The food is inexpensive (~£6-8 for a bento, £7-11 for ramen, udon or donburi) and so tasty. On my most recent trip I had beef ramen with tan tan (sesame paste) soup base, and my brother had salmon teriyaki on brown rice. Both dishes had generous proportions of meat/fish, and the donburi came with a side salad and pickles. The unagi (eel) is also lovely, and the place does an extensive line in pick-your-soup base noodle bowl dishes where you have the option of shoyu, miso, and sesame as mentioned above, among others. I can't speak for the takeaway bento, but they looked pretty solid and of a decent quality. Drinks come in the familiar (Coke etc) and the more, um, 'traditional' - aloe vera juice, Pocari, cold bottled green and black teas and others. This place is rather hidden away on the fringes of the City, behind Aldgate station on the Petticoat Lane side. In many ways it's a great location as it's very much a local haunt, and in others a little frustrating as even if you're working in the City it can be a fair walk to get there and back! My advice would also be to get there early (between midday and half-past) to ensure a seat, as well as before some of the more popular items on the menu disappear. In brief summary, I couldn't really recommend this place enough if you're in the area. You'll get multi-kudos from any friends Nippon friends (or appreciators of their incredible cuisine) and have a lunch to beat the hell out of an uninspired sandwich / soft-drink combo whilst spending a similarly scant amount of your hard-earned cash. As your fellow diners would say: "itedakimas!"

I wish I could give this place 10 stars because it is simply amazing. For lunch I got a chicken…read moreteriyaki be to box. Their rice is so delicious I could eat it alone without any other dish. The chicken was tender and flavourful and I really liked the fried potato thing that came with the side. Another great thing about Asta is that with bento boxes you can pick a variety of cold side dishes. I recommend the cucumbers and the rice noodles. Will be back!!

This is one of those taste buds over aesthetics situations. Fuji, in the midst of foodie Stoke…read moreNewington, doesn't do much to appear hip or classy. But the actual food puts many savvier places to shame. All the usual standbys - sushi, curry, bento boxes prepared to a very high level of quality. Service is good - but if the commercial radio soundtrack bothers you, there's always takeaway.

Incredible spot! Found it through Yelp, and it's in a very unassuming area, but when you walk in…read moreit's packed to the brim with people! Recommend a reservation if you're coming during peak dinner hours. We all tried their Katsu dinner sets and sushi, all of which were amazing. The katsu and katsu sauce were the highlights for me! It was nice how the set also came with a pumpkin croquette and shrimp tempura as well.

This place surprised me! I'd never had katsu before, so I wasn't sure what to expect. My first few…read morebites I also wasn't sure, but once you mix everything together it really tastes great! I had the chicken katsu curry and I loved it once I mixed the chicken with the rice and curry and the cabbage salad with the sauce that they give you. Make sure you use the sauce! It really did make a difference to me.

It is unusual to find a proper Japanese restaurant in south London. Sensuru certainly is a…read moresurprise. Me and my girlfriend drove pass and decide too give it a go. The selection is much better than we anticipate and Sashimi and Sushi is generous and very fresh. We also like the tempura and sweet potato. Beware, they do not open on Monday though.

A proper Japanese restaurant in south London. Me and my…read morefriends walked past and decide to give it a go. The selection is much better than we anticipated and the Salmon is generous and very refreshing . We also like the tempura and sweet potato. Service was excellent--staff were very chill and welcoming. The decoration was pretty. Heads up, they do not open on Monday though.

I had been told by many folks over many years to go to P. Franco. I have still not gone there yet…read more However I recently got to hit Peg one of P. Franco's sibling restaurants during a a restaurant industry pop up through friends. So it turned out to be a giant party of folks from the whole restaurant group plus a bunch of folks trying to do walkins. It was definitely unexpected on how crazy it got as I thought it was going to be mellow. It was good to see life resume after all these years of unusual restaurant restrictions. Normally the menu is a play on yakitori hits but there was a bonus Korean chef in the house which also played with some Italian influences so the menu was kinda all over but insanely delicious. we were order multiples of certain items and luckily we went early (not my normal m.o. btw) as they were running out of things. I'd also never been this far east in London so Hackney seemed quite far from the areas I usually stroll. Definitely a hipster vibe going on and it seems to be up and coming for sure. People watching is wonderful especially the fashion choices. So if you like natural wines and a hip scene, Peg is definitely something that should be on your radar

We love a good tasting menu and chose Angelina for our honeymoon in London--it absolutely lived up…read moreto the hype. Every dish was delicious and incredibly creative, with the Italian-Japanese fusion working together perfectly. The team even surprised us with champagne to celebrate, which was such a thoughtful touch. Sitting at the bar made the experience even more fun, as we got to watch the chefs plate and cook everything right in front of us. The quality of the food was outstanding, and for the price, it's an amazing value. Highly recommend!

I am OBSESSED with Angelina and recommend everyone to go if they're in London. They have a 16…read morecourse tasting menu that rotates. Everything was SO good and perfect amounts. I would truly put this in the top 5 restaurants if not higher I've ever been to. The vibe was small and cute and it's definitely not overcrowded and perfect for a good date night or small dinner. The service was great. I can't say enough about it, 10/10 would recommend.

I have been to this restaurant twice now, I was very pleased to find one so local as Japanese is my…read morefavourite cuisine. The menu is extensive, but a little on the pricey side. The Teppanyaki chefs are very talented and put on a real show for you while cooking the food. They also serve Sushi, Sashimi and Yakitori. I am lucky enough to have eaten Japanese food in Tokyo so the bar is set quite high fo me in terms of quality and authenticity. While this restaurant appears to be Chinese run rather than Japanese, the food still tastes authentic and the experience is very worthwhile. The Sake is great too, especially warm. Highly recommended, only loses one star for the prices.

Called Saturday evening and tried a mixture of dishes…read more The Teppanyaki bit itself is great fun: around 12 seats are arranged around a metal hot plate and the (shared) chef works in front of you. In addition to preparing the food he flourishes his tools, juggles with some of the implements and even (optionally) threw the bowls fried rice to the customers! Somehow everyone I saw trying this managed to catch it, which was a relief. For starters we had Chicken Yakitori (chicken on skewers with leek and yakitori sauce), Harumaki (deep fried Japanese spring rolls) and Prawn Tempura: these varied from £4-5.50 per portion and I'd suggest one or two each as the dishes are small but tasty. We didn't try the Sushi, Makimono, Temaki or Sahimi, although some of the others at the shared table did and it looked nicely presented. For the mains (£10-17) we went with Traditional Teppanyaki: this is the food that the chef prepares in front of you on the hot plate. This is safe, but I don't think it would be a good idea for very young children. We had Tuna filet steak seared and served with teriyaki sauce and chopped pickled ginger; Scottish sirloin Hibachi Steak which was served to order, in our case rare. The steak and teriyaki sauce was lovely, the tuna was very nice but a little overcooked to our tastes. This was accompanied by egg fried rice with chicken at the start (£4.00), fried mushrooms and bean sprouts at the end (included in the cost). Everything was nicely cooked and very tasty. We had a bottle of Australian Merlot, which was good value at under £15. The food was good value, the staff were helpful and polite, and there is a reasonable amount of parking outside. Highly recommended.

This place is fab. The server told us they have had some negative reviews and I don't get it, as…read moreour experience last night (Monday) was delicious and fun. The vibe is great: moody and chill in terms of decor, lighting and the music. The music was at the perfect volume when we arrived at 7- good for talking, even with us seated almost next to the DJ- and the volume increased just slightly as the evening rolled on. Atmospheric vibes were conducive to a conversation which is exactly what we wanted: not having to shout to hear each other. The service was very good. The drinks great: my smash cocktail was potent and lovely: a bit herbal with strong gin flavour, with a touch of sweetness. My husband appreciated his bold whiskey and my friend her orange wine. The serving portions are generous for the price so massive applause there! A very large bowl of padron peppers and fried chicken, and my big bowl of nasu (aubergine) pleased me with its size, utterly delicious miso flavour, and texture. Likewise my oyster mushrooms. I was perfectly sated after. My friend's dragon roll was huge!! It's definitely not cheap but my friend's work covered half the bill. I would return.

Stumbled upon this place during my brief stay in Dalston, London. Their Djs play vinyl. I've…read moreenjoyed the funky reggae tunes and lounge music. Come here if you want to unwind and relieve your stress.

My friend forever kept telling me about this little gem in harrow, I never believed her until I…read moretried it for myself! The best sushi in north west london!!! Fresh, juicy, full of flavour, and its not just sushi that they do, they also do various hot dishes, cold dishes, noodles, bento, you name it they have it! The menu is pretty vast, upon arrival you are welcomed with a pot of green tea and miso, goes down really well. We got the futomaki dragon roll: king prawn, avocado, pickled cucumber, unagi sauce and topped off with fish eggs, you get 8 pieces on a plate for about £11, really good dish to share. Also got the spicy edamame, ebi fry and we each got a bento box. I went for the veggie tofu option and my friend for the chicken katsu. Bento boxes are about £6-9 and you get a lot of variety such as salad, sticky rice with beansprouts, the meat or the tofu and tempura vegetables, also comes with a sauce or sesame oil. If there is a group, works out cheaper, as it was just me and my friend it was £30 each with the addition of green tea, which isn't actually bad. The service is good, we went on a Tuesday afternoon, peak time during lunch hour rush and actually the waitresses did really well. Looking forward to going back and trying out the rest of the menu.