Food reviews

Ukai Sushi

Above: Ukai

There hasn’t been sushi on Portobello Road for a long time, since the strange and alarmingly named Retro Sushi late night place shut down several years ago, followed quickly by the fairly short-lived Japanese Canteen. So Ukai is a welcome newcomer, a stylish eaterie that offers a range of wholesome, inventive and very, very pretty Japanese delicacies.

It’s a long, thin room with black walls, angular furniture and a brisk, efficient feel. The menu is lengthy and tempting and from it we chose what we hoped would be a varied selection: grilled eel nigiri, spicy tuna hosomaki rolls, warming miso soup and “room temperature” (though it would be a very cold room) edamame as well as inside-out rolled sushi with salmon, avocado and sesame seeds (all delicious). We also loved the inari sushi, described as “seasoned tofu pouches of rice, sesame, ginger and chives” which was somehow sweet, as were the unbelievably cute-looking ukai pancakes that were miniature towers of cucumber and chive-filled pancake topped with perfectly formed dollops of hoi sin sauce. Thick futomaki rolls filled with omelette were another unusual and tasty choice – in fact, the whole spread was full of surprises and interesting flavours, elegantly presented and thoroughly delicious. And look out for the flower teas – my lily fairy tea was made from jasmine and lily, a whole dried flower dropped simply into a glass of boiling water to make a tantalising floral experience. Lovely.

Pendle Harte

Place:

Ukai Sushi, 223 Portobello Road W11

020 7727 8222

Feels like:

Neat and stylish canteen-style outlet

Tastes like:

Neat and stylish tasty nibbles

Costs:

Slap up lunch and tea for two with change from £40