Historical version 3 of Okan, SW9 8PS (view current version)
- 4th Avenue, Brixton Village Market, Atlantic Road, SW9 8PS (streetmap) (osm) (gmap) (bingmap) (streetview)
- 12:30pm-3pm Mon-Sat; 6pm-10pm Thu-Sat
Okan is a new (as of June 2011) Japanese restaurant in Brixton Village, specializing in okonomiyakiand other Osakan street food. The venue is austerely but cheerfully decorated to resemble a genuine Osakan street cafe and is a light, airy space. There is table seating for 16 inside and 12 outside, with another four seats at the counter.
Otumami (starters) range in price from £1.75 for miso soup to £3.25 for a tofu salad; all but one of these are vegetarian. There is an option to have four starters on one plate, as a sharer or light main, for £6.50. There are nine different combinations of ingredients for the okonomiyaki; cheese and sweetcorn (£6.50) is the cheapest and the only truly vegetarian option (due to the fish sauce in the Kimchi), while the Okan Special (£8.25) combines kimchi, prawn, squid and sweetcorn. Noodles can be added to any Okonomiyaki dish for £1. There are also pork (£6.95), prawn (£7.25) or tofu (£6.75) yaki soba. The only desert option is green tea ice cream (£3.25) from LAB G, another Brixton Village establishment.
Tea and freshly prepared cordials are £2.50, with still or sparking water (£1) and fruit juice (£1.75) also available. Okan does not yet have a license and there is a £1-per-person corkage charge.
On a September 2011 lunchtime visit, itsbruce found the service is friendly and helpful; it was assumed that he wanted chopsticks rather than western-style cutlery. He opted for the set lunch menu, which includes "Okonomiyaki of the day" (he chose kimchi from the two options on offer), miso soup and a salad for £6.50. The salad (mixed green leaves and edamame with sesame dressing) was small but crisp and vividly flavoured. The kimchi okonomiyaki was delicious, quite a respectable portion and very filling. The miso soup was light and contained good quality fresh tofu. The presentation of all three dishes was very attractive. To accompany the meal, he had an elderberry and fresh ginger cordial, which was tart and refreshing and clearly had fresh-cut slices of ginger suspended in it. The final bill was £9.
itsbruce's verdict: friendly staff, cheerful service, delicious and well-presented food. I intend to become a regular visitor.
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