Tag Archives: Japanese

Bone Daddies Shackfuyu, Soho

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Bone Daddies made a relatively quiet entrance onto the Soho restaurant scene a few years ago. Since opening the ramen bar has gradually grown in popularity, serving up steaming bowls of goodness and satisfying sticky meaty treats. I found the food very salty, but cannot fault the concept.

It seems the trend for this oriental cuisine continues to soar… Shackfuyu is the recent pop-up from the Bone Daddies team, and London’s top foodies are falling over each other to taste the Japanese fusion food.

The space is big and allows for a dinky bar downstairs where hungry guests wait patiently for a free table. While we were down there, we took the opportunity to trial a few of the pre-bottled cocktails. This pre-mixed method usually perturbs me, but the concoctions at Shackfuyu are good enough to withstand a bit of fridge time, and are served in stylish little glass milk bottles. I loved the ‘Orenji What?!’ a whisky based drink with triple sec and orange misu, a slightly sweeter version of an Old Fashioned. We also tried the zestier ‘Ringo Starr’ a mix of gin, sake and apple juice.

Eventually we were seated upstairs, at this point we were ready to devour the entire menu. There is a tempting selection of small snacky plates so you can order a selection, share your way slowly through the feast. Aubergine with miso and babu arare is a sticky sweet delight and Prawn toast a delicate treat. The highlight for us was the Korean fried wings, coated in layers of treacle textured sauce and a sprinkle of sesame seeds – they are a messy dish, but once you’ve delved in you’ll barely want to come up for air. I enjoyed the theatre of the hot stone rice with goma tare, chilli and beef, delivered to the table with a raw egg on top, it is stirred rapidly and sizzles with excitement. The rice tends to stick to the side of the dish but this makes the dish crunchy and even yummier.

Sadly we didn’t have space for the solo dessert on the menu (kinaki French toast) but I will definitely be returning to try it soon. I’ve heard it is not to be missed.

Shackfuyu sounds rather rude when you say it aloud but with food this tasty, who cares? Settle down in one of the comfortable booths, order generously and enjoy.

More information and see the menu of Shackfuyu here: www.bonedaddies.com/shackfuyu

Koya, Soho

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I didn’t even see the restaurant sign, the queue alone told me I was in the right place. Koya is another of Soho’s uber-popular foodie destinations. The little eatery lives on Frith Street, opposite Ceviche (Peruvian delights), and a few metres from Barrafina (tapas heaven). So if you can’t be bothered with the queue there are other options nearby, though the likelihood is… they’ll be just as busy. When a friend and I turned up on a Wednesday night, the waiting didn’t take too long, and luckily we had some soap opera style entertainment from the couple behind us in the queue.

Koya opened in 2010, offering a casual and hip Japanese eating experience to Londoners. Noodles are homemade, kneaded by foot in the traditional Japanese fashion and served up hot or cold in an array of broths with a selection of toppings. The menu is pretty easy to grasp though we still struggled to choose. Udon noodles are served three ways: Atsu-Atsu (hot udon in hot broth), Hiya-Atsu (cold udon with hot broth) or Hiya-Hiya (cold noodles with cold dipping sauce).

We were both won over by the Kamo duck Atsu-Atsu, which arrived steaming minutes later… service here is speedy and efficient. The big hot bowls of goodness can be tricky to eat, splashing about as you slurp the noodles, but there is no doubt about it, this food makes for a very hearty and satisfying meal. The aromatic soup is soothing and delicious, thickened with chunky udon noodles, thin spring onions and meat – I loved the bite sized meatballs but found the slices of duck breast slightly too fatty. Looking back at the menu now I’m spotting lots of other tempting treats, Vegetable tempura and Donburi rice with beef and miso sounds wonderful too. To drink choose from traditional sake, shochu, Japanese beer or opt for a reasonably priced carafe of white wine, like we did.

Koya’s popularity shows no sign of slowing down, these simple authentic Japanese dishes continue to delight the hungry souls of Soho. I left feeling well fed, healthy but satisfied… all that for just £20.

More information here: www.koya.co.uk

Sake no Hana, Gin Masterclass, St James’

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Sake no Hana is part of the prestigious Hakkasan restaurant group serving Japanese cuisine. I went along to the St James’ restaurant bar for an expert lesson in gin and cocktail execution.

Hendrick’s gin ambassador, Duncan McRae, gave an animated and passionate speech about this favourite gin brand, the history of the spirit and its important influence on Britain’s drinking culture.

Among the facts, he imparted several anecdotes and quotes including Kerouac’s insightful: “Take more from the drink than the drink takes from you.”

As I tasted the cucumber flavoured Hendrick’s Gin & Tonic, I smiled remembering that “drinking is merely a pause from thinking.” An hour later we had been presented with a further three cocktail tasters, each more delicious than the last. Finger food was provided to satisfy our stomachs while our taste buds were hard at work enjoying the cocktail concoctions.

After this intriguing gin lesson I certainly have a new-found interest and fondness for London’s most famous spirit.

More information on Sake no Hana here, and details for the cocktail classes here.