If you’re looking for a casual yet cosy sushi spot in the heart of the city, then look no further than Miyako.
Located within the Andaz London Liverpool Street, this wood panelled restaurant boasts a nice concise menu with a mix of sashimi. sushi, hot dishes, salad and tempura on offer.
I dipped into the place on a Tuesday night with a London-based friend from Tokyo who had been before and given it a thumbs up.
It was fairly quiet when we arrived but it quickly filled out, mainly with city workers and duos talking business.
There was a nice warm atmosphere, with candles burning and the chefs behind the counter lost in their art.
Service was swift and we started out with a glass of plum wine (umeshu) on the rocks and shochu (a traditional distilled liquor made from barley).
After perusing the food menu, we finally plumped on a smattering of dishes.
The waitress thought we might have ordered slightly too much, but there were quite a few things that took our fancy.
Our selection included salted edamame, four types of sashimi (octopus, squid, sweet prawn and hamachi), two types of tempura (vegetable and seafood), some oshi dash spinach, crab and avocado and a bowl of kaiso seaweed.
My Japanese friend sent the edamame back to begin with as she said they weren’t cooked properly but there were no complaints with the other dishes.
The service had a good pace, and our orders gradually rolled out of the kitchen freshly made.
My favourite dishes included the kaiso seaweed, with a blend of green and red leaves, and the crab and avocado salad, with a generous serving of crab.
I have to say, I’m not usually a big fan of tempura but the batter at Miyako was light and crisp and the accompanying dipping sauce was spot on.
To help wash things down, I ordered a 180ml serving of shochikubai gokai sake, described as ‘full bodied with stronger flavors’.
It came served in a glass with a ring pull lid for added novelty. On the taste front, the translucent liquid was clean and well balanced.
We felt pleasantly full and to keep things that way, we skipped dessert and opted for green tea instead. Although, the rose parfait with lychee ice cream did catch my eye!
Miyako recently launched a bottomless sumo lunch which runs on Saturdays from 11:30am to 5:30pm.
It’s pretty good value, with all you can eat for £24. If you want to include limitless drinks, the prices bumps up to £44.
So if you fancy a change to the standard Christmas food scene, ditch the turkey for some tasty tempura at this fuss free spot…
Miyako is located at Andaz London, 40 Liverpool St, London EC2M 7QN
To book a table call 020 7618 7100 or visit www.hyatt.com
