Our Jack heads down to Murakami – serving up Japanese food via Ukraine, in lovely Covent Garden. Recommendation? Get the Spicy Maguro. Verdict? Not so good on the service, average on the prices and pretty good on the food…
Rating
Cuisine
Japanese with fusion touches
Appeals To
The kind of hardcore/obsessive people who eat at every single sushi restaurant – ever looking for that one that has the edge over the others. You might not find that here, but you will have fun trying.
Ukranian expats (probably from Kiev).
People who enjoy Japanese food in it’s delicious ‘diluted’ form – or who believe that sushi can be improved upon by the addition of Western ingredients and styles of preparation.
Anyone who wanted to eat at a high end Japanese restaurant, but who found the traditional Japanese restaurant (with all of its Japanese words and stuff) to be somewhat foreign/intimidating…
In A Word
Slick
Pinball, 2015…
Opened in early 2015, Murakami brings Izakaya(ish) food to St Martin’s Lane, Covent Garden, a road perhaps better known more for chain dining, tourists and theatres.
And no, it might not be immediately obvious – but Murakami are a Ukrainian chain (turns out that sushi is very popular in Kiev). This is their first foothold in the Big Smoke. Before visiting the London one, I hear of some… mixed reviews about the place.
In some ways these reviews turn out to be true. And, where the service is not where it could be (this is the only place that I’ve not been able to get many shots of the venue due to the staff being weird about it…), the food is definitely quite something; with too many Western touches to be called ‘traditional Japanese’.
The Ambiance
A relatively new and sparkly interior (plus customary over-sized filament light bulbs) belies less of the zen/minimalist approach of some of Murakami’s Japanese competitors – though the calligraphy that adorns the wooden walls appears to have been hand painted.
In the traditional Japanese style, there’s a long bar for people dining alone, an open kitchen and some kinda modern minimal furniture that reminds me of Ikea (ain’t nothing wrong with Ikea).
If you sit by the front entrance you can watch people walk by and an Asian guy making hand rolls at an impressive pace. Sit by the back you’ll probably find a more secluded corner for the solitary (and satisfying) consumption of rainbow rolls. I read that there’s a ‘living wall’ of moss in here too, but damned if I can find it.
The Food & Drink
There’s enough saké and saké flights on there for the curious (and I am always curious) – including Junmai ‘Happo-seishu’ sparkling sake, £32 for 30cl – though they have definitely missed a trick on the Japanese whisky selection (…in this writer’s most humble opinion.)
Anyway, saké and whiskies aside, Murakami haven’t shirked on their cocktail obligations (because as you know, these bloody Londoners DEMAND cocktails). Like many Japanese places, they’ve gone with a variety of things mixed with saké, plus some of the obligatories/classics.
Preferring my saké neat (and my life messy) I can’t give you any personal recommendations but the “Japanese style for Espresso Martini” (Great King Street scotch, Kahlua, espresso, green tea syrup…) looks quite something.
The menu is not immense but there’s plenty of variety; tuna and beef off of the robata grill arrives simultaneously charred on the outside and rare on the inside (a worthy combination I seem unable to pull off on my grill).
Sashimi Salad £7.90
Seaweed Salad £4.50
Aguri Rainbow Roll £10.5
Murakami Roll £12.50
Rib Eye with Sweet Soya £19
Spicy Maguro £12.50
Mystery Matcha Cheesecake and vanilla ice cream
The Verdict
Prices seem to come out about average for this part of town, even compared with all of the bigger chains nearby. As always – don’t expect cheap sushi here or anywhere.
But don’t worry if ‘you’re not a sushi kinda guy/gal’ – there’s tempura, grilled meats and fish, dumplings and more. Something for everyone. After all, the Japanese have embraced ‘coronary risk cooking’ with the same gusto that everyone else has. What a world we live in.
Want to put Murakami to the test? I’d recommend you start with their signature Murakami Rolls or the Spiced Maguro.
The Details
http://murakami.london/
63-66 St Martin’s Ln, London WC2N 4JS
020 3417 6966