Chisou
Sushi makes for a good pre-theatre meal: it’s light, service is usually fast, and of course I love it. Hmm… I suppose I could add that we also don’t usually drink much with sushi, so should be altogether less dozy for the performance, although this time we indulged in a flask of
Chisou‘s house sake! Luckily Evita was sufficiently high-octane that we had no worries about staying alert throughout.
Tucked down a little side street off Bond Street, Chisou feels like a typical small Japanese restaurant, with faultless service and a chorus of “irasshaimase!” when guests arrive. We sat at the counter, there are plenty of small tables, Japanese decor and a kind of tidy clutter. It feels welcoming.
Tongue
Edamame with a properly spicy sauce added made for a good snack (especially with the sake) while we chose our food. Nine pieces of sushi omakase, a crab and unagi roll labelled as a house special, and some sliced ox tongue. The sushi is all very good and I’m surprised that every piece is different fish, including three cuts of tuna and everything from yellowtail to mackerel. The roll is excellent: plenty of white crab meat with a little brown for flavour makes up the centre of the roll, glistening pieces of unagi eel perched on top with the classic sweet unagi glaze. The ox tongue reminds me of the first time I had this delicacy the Japanese way: sturdy, pleasant texture with a good umami flavour from the seared outside and a sprinkling of salt and pepper. Nice treat.
The house sushi is good, clean and crisp but with some fruity notes coming out. We paid about £30 each for the food, which feels like decent value for good sushi in central London. Chisou definitely goes on my little list of good places for casual eats in town.
Unagi crab roll
