Restaurant Review: Ikeda

A couple of weeks ago I was taken out to a Japanese restaurant in Mayfair called Ikeda. I absolutely love Japanese food and this place came highly recommended so I was pretty excited.

The place itself is pretty cool, very old school with pink wallpaper and simple decor, it sort of feels like you're in someone's house. The waitresses are all kitted out in traditional kimonos which was really a pretty great touch. It's a pretty small, cosy place (I would suggest making a reservation) and all the staff are really friendly. The first thing I noticed when we walked in was that there was a lot of Japanese people eating there, definitely a good sign in my book!



We had a nice little corner table and sat down to order drinks. We were planning on ordering sake but since neither of us knew much about the different specimens on offer, we were quickly joined by the sake sommelier (is that what they're called? I have no idea) to assist us. He recommended a light, fruity sake and brought us over a sample to taste. It was nice, but we conceded that perhaps it was ambitious to expect to down a whole glass of it alongside a meal, so we stuck with red wine (philistines, I know!). In all seriousness, I would love to learn more about sake and stick with Japanese traditions, so next time, I'm definitely going to attempt it but it is so strong! It's like drinking a glass of straight vodka with dinner! I'll persevere eventually, though!

Food wise, the menu is extensive- see for yourself on the link below. My dining companion had been to the restaurant before and had some great recommendations which was handy. As I've mentioned before, I'm terribly indecisive when it comes to menus and there's essentially nothing I won't eat (or at least try) so in sharing situations, I tend to make vague suggestions and leave the decision making up to anyone and everyone else! In the end we ordered a bunch of stuff, which hilariously arrived in a serious of random courses. This actually worked out really well as we weren't inundated with loads of food at one time but I still have no idea how they assigned which dishes should be served together and in which order!

First came our miso soups, a side salad with Japanese dressing and tuna sashimi. Miso soup there is awesome- I don't think I'd ever go to a Japanese restaurant without ordering miso but this one in particular is can't miss. The salad was suprising jam packed for a side salad and the dressing was incredible- nicely sweet and sour with a great sesame flavour. The sashimi too was incredible- just excellent quality, perfectly cut fish with lots of wasabi (addicted) and soy sauce- heaven.

The next "couse" was the house special- Beef Tataki, and Prawn Tempura Maki. The beef was delicious, perfectly rare, thin slices of beef with a beautiful sesame dressing. It actually got better the more of it you ate! I wasn't so keen on the tempura prawns- firstly, as you may have started to gather, deep fried food isn't my favourite, but also it was sort of an unusual sushi in that it was made with noodles instead of rice and while delicious, I found it a little too heavy and stodgy.

Final course was the black cod and steamed rice- was so full at this point I found it difficult to finish but the fish was totally delicious, really tender and cooked in a very sweet, sticky sauce. Honestly, I have no idea how they cook it but I would urge you to try it!

To finish, we had the green tea ice cream which was a great palate cleanser. Only complaint was that they brought the bill before we had asked or even ordered dessert, as if trying to rush us but I'll put it down to an honest mistake because the staff are really lovely and its a fantastic little place.

My number one selling point in restaurant food (or any food, really) is good quality ingredients and this is even more important than ever in Japanese food which is based around simple dishes, prepared with great quality food. This tends to drive the price up, which is why its almost impossible to find cheap Japanese food. That said, for the standard of this place, the price was pretty reasonable. My dining companion being ever the gent, I didn't even get a look at the bill, but I'd estimate this as a mid range eatery, you could go for a quick lunch and spend very little, or blow out on a big dinner with lots of vino and spend a ton. Either way, its definitely worth a visit.

Link:
http://www.ikedarestaurant.co.uk/