Located five minutes from Shoreditch High Street Station, Issho-Ni is a welcoming, airy, space, illuminated with dazzling lights serving Japanese food, Izakaya style with a modern twist.
The murals seem to resonate with this stretch of east London’s art scene. The décor is minimalist, chic dotted with stylish brown leather chairs and blue-green sofa booths.
Pastry chef Claire Su took over the noodle bar which was owned by her parents and opened Issho-Ni. Head chef Eduardo Agiar, has years of experience under his belt at the likes of Roka, Kiri and Bone Daddies, and brings flair to his dishes.
At £36 per head, the Saturday bottomless brunch comes with an impressive selection of sushi, sashimi, sharing plates of kimchi, wasabi peas, edamame beans and a main each. The kimchi was definitely a triumph, fermented beautifully with the right amount of tartness.
Other highlights included prawn tempura maki rolls, though not traditional, they were flavourful with sweet chilli mayo and kataifi (fried vermicelli-like pastry) additions. The main course can be ordered once the sharing plates are finished. Having already had a good fill of sushi and excellent salmon and seabass sashimi, I was filled with dread about overdoing it.
We had the salmon teriyaki and Nasu Dengaku - fried aubergine with sesame and miso. The salmon was cooked to perfection, its meatiness cutting through the sweetness of the teriyaki glaze, but the aubergine was the star of the show and I wish I had saved more space instead of over indulging in kimchi and maki rolls. It had a good kick of umami from the miso, and sprinkled with spring onions was the perfect finish to a satisfying meal. There are no desserts - probably a good thing - but free-flowing Prosecco or cocktails such as the ‘bloody Geisha’ (Issho-Ni's take on a Bloody Mary) can be added for £17 per person.
Bottomless brunch at Issho-Ni, 185 Bethnal Green Road, runs Saturdays 12 noon to 3pm, booking ahead essential. For more details visit https://issho-ni.com/about-us/
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