JAPANESE RESTAURANT, SOHO, LONDON, UK

JUGEMU

It has been a dry spell for eating out at new venues of late, so a friend of mine suggested that we have dinner at a Japanese restaurant that she loves, Jugemu in Soho London, her treat! I was most intrigued since she had warned me that the chef there is temperamental, he could blow hot and cold, but the food, she thought was excellent.

I decided then not to check out any reviews before going and to see what kind of reception I would have.

A cordial acknowledgement from the Chef himself, Yuya Kikuchi (he was the first person that greeted me on my entry) and the rest of the staff (all female) all very accommodating as I was shown to my table/bench at the back of the tiny restaurant. The place was heaving with a mixture of business and foodie clientele. I had time to peruse the menu while I waited for my friend to arrive; to order, it was a combination of ticking the appropriate item on the various menus and for the dishes of the day that were displayed on slate boards hung on the wall, you would have to write these down on a separate piece of paper. It wasn’t dissimilar to ordering at a dim sum restaurant

I was rather intrigued by the chopped octopus then by the crispy fried oyster – in my mind I thought £5 per oyster… hmmm…

Being at the back of the restaurant more or less felt that we were excluded from the rest… great for a more intimate conversation and to concentrate on the food! Despite being next to the “water station” that anyone could refill their glasses of water at, we didn’t feel interrupted at all (maybe most were more interested in their beers and sake?)

Menu board | Jugemu Sushi Bar, Soho, London
Menu board | Jugemu Sushi Bar, Soho, London
Menu board | Jugemu Sushi Bar, Soho, London
Menu board | Jugemu Sushi Bar, Soho, London

Back to food, first to arrive was the chopped octopus… this was the first indication of the proportion/size of dishes that were to come! I don’t think the photo I took gives perspective, but think of the size of a soya sauce/dip dish!

Chopped Octopus with Wasabi | Jugemu Sushi Bar, Soho, London | ytTastes | Yvanne Teo

Chopped Octopus with Wasabi

Menu board | Jugemu Sushi Bar, Soho, London

Order sheets | Jugemu, Soho, London, UK | ytTastes | Yvanne Teo

Order Sheets

I concur with my friend, the chef here really creates something special about his dishes. This is not a run of the mill Japanese restaurant, the dishes are inventive and have a much more delicate balance. One of traits of this restaurant – soya sauce and wasabi are not offered at all to accompany your dishes, the chef believes his dishes are completely balanced in flavor and taste, which is rightly so!

Crispy Fried Oyster with Wasabi | Jugemu Sushi Bar, Soho, London | ytTastes | Yvanne Teo

Crispy Fried Oyster with Wasabi

Spicy Sauteed Lotus Roots | Jugemu Sushi Bar, Soho, London | ytTastes | Yvanne Teo

Spicy Sauteed Lotus Roots

Bonito Tataki | Jugemu Sushi Bar, Soho, London | ytTastes | Yvanne Teo

Bonito Tataki

Duck Teriyaki | Jugemu Sushi Bar, Soho, London | ytTastes | Yvanne Teo

Duck Teriyaki

So not from the specials of the day on the boards, we also ordered Agedashi Tofu (a staple I always order as a bench mark), Aubergine with miso, 2 sushi dishes, and soba noodles as it had been a very hot day.

With our many dishes and the soba to round it off, we did indeed have had a lovely meal and managed to taste a small range of what Chef Yuya Kikuchi has to offer. I emphasis small range as in a sense we hardly made a dent into his menu (except for his daily specials).

For a small eater, this is an ideal place, but I do have to emphasize that you cannot be in a hurry (though on booking they did indicate a set time period for our meal) as each dish is delicate and you need time to appreciate how the flavours and consistency compliment each other.

On the other hand, with the price per dish, and the size of the dishes, this certainly is not a cheap place eat. And I say it again, I do appreciate the lack of soya sauce & wasabi at hand; these and gari (pickled ginger) are really for palate cleansing or at least the latter two.

For an Izakaya (informal Japanese bar that serves alcoholic drinks and snacks), it definitely hits the spot! I think we need to re-educate ourselves, this is not a restaurant, think more Japanese tapas!

Agedashi Tofu | Jugemu Sushi Bar, Soho, London | ytTastes | Yvanne Teo

Agedashi Tofu

Aubergine with Miso | Jugemu Sushi Bar, Soho, London | ytTastes | Yvanne Teo

Aubergine with Miso

Tuna | Jugemu Sushi Bar, Soho, London | ytTastes | Yvanne Teo

Tuna

Yellow Tail | Jugemu Sushi Bar, Soho, London | ytTastes | Yvanne Teo

Yellow Tail

Soba with chicken | Jugemu Sushi Bar, Soho, London | ytTastes | Yvanne Teo

Soba with chicken

ADDRESS



JUGEMU SUSHI BAR
3 Winnett St
London W1D 6JY
Open Mon-Sat 6.00pm – 10.00pm

Tags

#JAPANESE, #JAPANESERESTAURANT #SOHO #LONDON #UK #AGEDASHITOFU #AUBERGINE #MISO #BONITO #TATAKI #DUCK #TERRIYAKI #OYSTER #LOTUSROOT #OCTOPUS #OMAKASE #SASHIMI #SOBA #SUSHI #TUNA

© Copyright 2023 ytTastes | Yvanne Teo | All Rights Reserved

Privacy Policy