Aki Restaurant

I quite like this place, although over time it felt that the prices have gone up slightly. Certain items are very tasty, and the others are relatively standard, but everything is quite authentic. My favorites are the yaki saba sushi, the aubergine dish, and tako wasa.

I have to admit, I was a little moody when I arrived at Aki. I’d had to walk from King’s Cross and was hot and bothered and desperately needing a wee. However, once I’d settled, found our table with all my friends on downstairs, and started reading the menu (always therapeutic) I really began to enjoy myself. Downstairs is fun — the little wooden booths and stools just add to the quirkiness. Unusually for me, I left all the ordering up to my Japanese friend and she did not disappoint. I tried a lot of things I’d never have done. For example, Natto rolls — fermented soy bean rolls. These are a bit like strong cheese or marmite. It’s an acquired taste and you either love it or hate it. When I first went for a sniff, it wasn’t until I was really close that the smell hit me. Try it. Tell me what you think.
The food is top notch and reasonable. The asparagus in butter is delish and I had to keep going back for more. They do all the standard sushi, katsu etc and is a bit of a winner if you’re after decent, good food. The service we had was very attentive — our own waitress stood guard ready to take any orders or answer any questions. Ooh, if you get dessert, the sesame and chestnut ice cream is a must. I’d also recommend sitting next to someone who talks a lot. That way you can sneakily steal spoonfuls of their pud whilst their occupied with the person next to you… :)

Aki offers a chance to escape the sushi conveyorbelt for delicious authenticity. It’s a great place to catch up with close friends, for romance or just for delicately-​prepared good nutrition. From bowls of steaming tofu and soup to a hearty Futomaki, the menu is excellent, and the service kind, a little shy, but suitably attentive. Try to get a seat downstairs if you’re culturally curious…

Aki is a bit of a favourite of mine (being next door to work helps)!
Having spent a little bit of time in Japan, I like to think I know a thing or two about authentic Japanese cuisine (I’m big headed like that) and this place delivers.
The sushi is pretty good, the bento boxes are great, but for brilliance I have just 2 words people «Nabeyaki udon», the best I’ve found in London, not quite 100% authentic, but very close… The bowl is brought bubbling to your table with multiple remiders from the waiting staff that it is VERY HOT! No kidding, I had lunch here today and was feeling more than a little unwell after a bit of a schoolnight pub crawl yesterday and my Nabeyaki Udon sorted me right out. I’m now ready to face the world of work (and try and make up for the fact I did sweet FA this morning)!
The place seems to be run entirely by Japanese people, and you get the authentic bowing and demure glances as your food is served, which really brings back the memories of those little izikayas!

Yup the age-​dashi is great, even by standards in Japan. The other thing to say about Aki is that while like anywhere it’s easy to wrack up a big bill, it can also work out to be very good value if you just want a few dishes or eat there at lunchtime. Real Japanese atmosphere without the stuffiness or mega-​bills of the expense account places.

Aki is an old school Japanese bistro with a humongous menu of mostly small, tapas-​like, dishes such as the best agedashi dofu that I’ve ever tasted (admittedly, I’ve yet to visit Japan but I’ve had more than my share of this deep fried tofu dish). I love Aki’s rustic setting (more Mount Fuji rural than Tokyo urban buzz) and find it to be a perfectly cozy spot to share a meal with a small group of friends.
Aki is probably my favourite Japanese restaurant in London. However, there are a lot of close seconds that I need to try again just to make sure.