Picture of Kikuchi, W1T 1UD

Kikuchi, W1T 1UD

Small Japanese restaurant on Hanway Street, just off Tottenham Court Road near its junction with Oxford Street.

The decor is simple, with wooden tables partitioned off in pairs, and the place is well-lit. There's a proper sushi counter where you can sit and interact with the chef. There's a bookable room downstairs, and the loos are downstairs too.

Kake, Leon, Bob, and Andrea visited on a Tuesday evening in June 2008. We hadn't booked, but this was no problem despite the small size of the place as there was only one other party in attendance. We were greeted by Mr Kikuchi himself as we entered, and he warned us that they have a minumum charge (£20 on food per person, I think); we'd already read about this so were expecting it.

The menu is quite long, with plenty of other options as well as sushi and sashimi. Kake opted for a number of small dishes, while the others had starters followed by either sushi or sashimi.

Kake's agedashi tofu (tofu fried in a light batter with a soy-based sauce) was very nicely done, perhaps a bit more batter than some places use, but good and hot and crisp. Maguro natto (tuna with natto) was interesting photo. I've not had this dish before so wasn't entirely sure how best to eat it; natto is a tricky bugger because it has so many thin, floaty, sticky strands. (Next time we come I want to try the "natto with five flavours".)

The sake menu is reasonably extensive photo; we shared a carafe of Otokoyama sake (£27 for 720ml).

Service was friendly and helpful. We ended up paying around £40/head, but about a quarter of that was booze, and we did get vouchers off the cost of our next meal (you get one £5 voucher for each £50 you spend).

Kake's verdict: I would like to come back and explore more of the menu. I read somewhere that they do good duck yakitori, but I didn't spot it on the menu (this doesn't mean it wasn't there).

See also:

Last visited by Kake, Bob, Leon, and Andrea, June 2008.
OS X co-ord: 529727 OS Y co-ord: 181440 (Latitude: 51.516996 Longitude: -0.131730)
Last edited 2023-09-05 12:42:48 (version 18; diff). List all versions.