Okawari

I can’t believe I haven’t reviewed this place before. It’s really one of the restaurants I just keep coming back to.
Just round the corner from the Prince Charles Cinema and squeezed in between those Chinese restaurants with the greasy duck in the window Okawari was a welcome break when I was looking for something to eat in Chinatown a few months back. I glanced in through the window and it didn’t seem that busy and the menu seemed reasonable.
My friend had Yakitori for starters and I had a few pieces of sushi. I really, really enjoyed the nigiri sushi especially the seabass one where the fish was still hot. Really, really nice. My friend’s starter was equally delicious. For the main I had one of their bento boxes, for £10 I got some fried chicken with a really nice sauce, steamed rice, salad and 6 pieces of sashimi (something I’d never tried before but now really like). My friend had the ramen which was a bit too spicy for me but still really, really nice.
50p for green tea and none of that snarky attitude when you ask for tap water makes this place a more favourable place for me to eat than Chinese restaurants nearby. The staff are, on the whole friendly, the restaurant is clean and compact with a sunken area with benches at the back. The sushi is made fresh at the front of the restaurant and the hot food downstairs. Anywhere I can get a whole meal I really enjoy for less than £15 certainly gets a tip of the cap from me.
I’ve been back about 5 or 6 times and each time the food has been delicious. I would 100% recommend this place if you are stuck in Chinatown and fancy something that isn’t drenched in sweet and sour sauce.

I visited this place after reading the reviews here. Nice food but nothing fancy… Affordable prices and taste dishes, I really liked the gyozas!
Good option for chinatown!

I get it, it’s not really expensive… but for me the sushi was sub-​par at best. I prefer Yo Sushi by far although it’s a bit more expensive than this place and I can’t offer a review of more than their sushi because I simply go to Japanese restaurants for their sushi, so take my review with a grain of salt if you liked cooked food.
I ordered their sushi lunch (three pieces of nigiri and 4 pieces of maki) it was cheap at 5 pounds and came with a side salad and miso soup but the 3 pieces of sushi were not very fresh and only one I could say I didn’t cring while eating. And the maki… what’s up with places having a fish sushi lunch special, bento box or set and thinking it’s okay to give you pieces of vegetarian maki with it? Ooof, obviously I’m not a vegitarian and expect at least a miniscule piece of fish in my maki. It never happens in the US, but also mostly in the US they actually let you choose from a list of rolls (or at least what is the roll) where here you have no clue what you are going to get until it comes.
Had to order another roll to attempt to feel full (a salmon avocado) which was okay despite it coming with mayonnaise when it did not state in the menu that it had mayonnaise. In the end my 5 pound lunch turned into a 10 pound lunch and I know I could have gotten a better deal and better sushi someplace else… just need to find it. My advice… check out another sushi spot in the area, I know next time, I will!

Okawari is, to be short and snappy, a Japanese restaurant in Chinatown. I’d say possibly not a destination restaurant, but definitely a cut above your Wagamama, Itsu and friends for the quality of food, and certainly above the normal level of pan-​Asian canteen which has started to predominate in London.
The food is extra tasty — I didn’t eat too much here having eaten earlier in the evening (um… ERROR), but the ebi gyoza were stunning — steamed, not baked, and perfectly turned out, the agedashi tofu was light and in a tasty broth, and the neverending green tea was very welcome.
Now — I don’t «do» sushi or sashimi, but the depth of the menu was such that my accompanying sushi divas Larissa D, Linzi M and Lizzie G were very happy with the selection and quality!
To top it off — the price is good too! Fairly priced, and for pure value for money, Okawari is going to be downright hard to best in this area of London.
A hidden gem — exactly what Unilocal is supposed to find!

For the price, you can’t really beat Okawari. Sure, you won’t find any fancy-​sounding speciality rolls here, but you will find stalwart classics that are done well.
Delicate melt-​in-​your-​mouth hamachi nigri is only £2.50.
A bowl full of agedashi tofu sitting in a broth of delicious is only £3.80.
Four tasty yasai gyoza is only £3.80 too.
Add to that a never-​ending cup of green tea, amazing pickled ginger and prompt and efficient service and you’ve got my vote for best sushi deals in London. Also, Okawari has a range of hot Japanese dishes, so you can go and enjoy the sushi to your heart’s content along with those of a no-​raw-​fish-​eating disposition without feeling selfish about your restaurant choice.

There is an interesting selection of dining options sprouting up on Lisle St, which is avoiding the cliches of tourist trap Anglo-​Canto generic Chinese restaurants on Gerrard St.
Sis and I had a nice lunch today. The menu looked inviting and we were straightaway impressed by the décor and linen napkins on the table.
Having perused the menu outside, we were able to put our order in for bento boxes and an order of sashimi to share quite quickly. The complimentary miso soup was first to arrive and was a nice introduction to the meal. Then came the sashimi which were average in size but tasty. Strangely no ginger or wasabi came with it. The bento boxes were generous in size — tempura was lovely and crunchy but the tonkatsu a bit dry.
Overall, a solid and tasty lunch. We left, well fed for more shopping in the afternoon.

Forget Wagammas and Itsu! This is a must if you are in the area for lunch. For just £5 you can fill your little greedy faces with a selection of hot and cold freshly cooked Japanese dishes and as much green tea as you like. This is so rare in central London to find an independent restaurant that give you such a good deal.
You alway see some of the old fellas from China town stop off in here in the afternoon, so it’s a favorite with the locals too! I work just down the road from this place and even though I try to find somewhere different to eat out when I do, it’s a secret indulgence to go here. I have even taken friends here and impresses them with my local knowledge. Don’t get sucked in by the other greasy MSG options in the area, try something fresh and exciting! It’s won’t cost you much anyhoo…

I went for Ramen. Instead, I got chili dishwater. Okay, it’s not the worst Ramen I’ve had in London but it’s got a ways to go to get to mediocre. The broth was so-​so and tasted canned. The noodles were bristly and lacklustre — and, even then, they still skimped on the volume. For over £6 I would expect to get a little noodle love — come on!