Defune

Sushi in London is everywhere, as it is in most of the U.S. and Europe these days. But I am very spoiled as I have lived in Los Angeles and New York, and spent some time in Tokyo as well. This is where sushi really shines. In fact one of the things I miss most about New York City is it’s Japanese restaurants. In London I have had a hard time finding really good ones, but there a couple that rival even the best of New York and Tokyo. One of these is Defune. A New York friend turned me onto this place, who is also a fellow sushi addict and extremely jaded as well. This place is a gem. It is unbelievably expensive so don’t go for your casual sushi night though, I warn you. But if you like to eat all the weird stuff, they have it, and it is fresh and extremely good. It is very traditional inside, elegant but very quiet and very Japanese. In fact, that is whom you see most of when you go. But I kind of like how it is so traditional and doesn’t try to put on the airs, as most of the smarter sushi places do.

I highly recommend going mostly with sushi and sashimi here, as it doesn’t get much better than this. But I have tried a few of the starters, which are all really delicious, just not groundbreaking. The rock prawns in butter with spicy garlic sauce are very good along with the prawn tempura. They serve a tempura shiso leaf with it, which is very charming. The seaweed salad is a great mix of colorful seaweeds with a light ponzu dressing, not the usual fluorescent green slimy stuff most of the cheaper sushi restaurants are fond of.

They have an excellent selection of the different varieties of Toro (tuna) and also a good variety of very fresh and salty Saba (mackeral). The Uni (sea urchin) is so delicious that you need to close your eyes as it melts in your mouth. I always tend to order Ikura sashimi (salmon eggs) and put them in the center of my fish and wrap it up in my chopstick. Try it, it’s a great addition. The Hotate (scallop) literally melts on your tongue and is extremely delicate and beautiful. Just about any sushi/sashimi you order here is excellent, so jump around and try new things, as this is the place to do it in. I have tried a few rolls and they are fine, not overly creative, but of great quality of course. The Saki list is also really good, and if you prefer cold to hot, it’s a wonderful selection.

If you are craving some Tokyo/New York tasting Japanese, this is the place to go. Just bear in mind it costs a fortune, so make it special.