Yashin Sushi & Bar – Exquisite Sushi. Without soy sauce.. but if you want to.

Finally… Yashin has arrived. I’ve waited a good few months for it. This high-end Japanese restaurant is the inspired creation of two of London’s best sushi chefs (IMHO) – Yasuhiro Mineno (executive chef for Eat Japan and formerly head chef at Ubon) and Shinya Ikeda (formerly of Yumi) – doing what they do best. Over the past few years, I’ve been lucky enough to eat their brilliant food… at the different restaurants they were at and to now they’ve teamed up to create Yashin. Both are deeply passionate and proud about what they deliver… you can see it in their eyes. I love what they’ve done with the place. Almost victorian decor. I love restaurants that do one thing and do it well… and they do sushi to an outstanding level.

Yashin - without soy sauce.. but if you want to

‘Without Soy Sauce.. but if you want to’ says the neon sign at the back of the sushi counter.. and that sums up their whole ethos. Their sushi, like any decent sushi, is not meant to be eaten with soy sauce. Why? They’ve brought out what’s best about the fish in a different and better way… in the UK there is a theme of drowning sushi in wasabi loaded soy sauce.. NO NO NO!!! don’t do it… (granted some fish benefits from a little soy sauce)… Great sushi is not meant to be eaten like that.. you think I’m mad or wrong.. go ask Sukiyabashi Jiro in Shinjuku, Tokyo!

They had a special on….

Yashin - Ankimo / Steamed Monkfish Liver

The monkfish liver (ankimo) was sliced, served on top of a small bed of salad with some dressing, sliced marinated cherry tomatoes and topped with a ponzu jelly. WOW…

Next… Kaki Su. Fresh oysters with different toppings.

Yashin - Kaki Su / Oysters with various dressing

Surprisingly the last time I ate fresh oysters was at a market in Rouen at 6am when I was 13 and was on a school trip to france. These were just so good… mouth watering… soft… I almost had more…

Next.. Yose Tofu

Yashin - Yose Tofu

Homemade in-house Tofu, served hot with a side of ponzu jelly & kisame wasabi which you mix in to the bowl. One of the best tofu’s I’ve ever eaten… comfort food

Next… Omakase (8 pieces).

Yashin - Chef Shinya working his magic

Yashin - Searing the Sushi

Yashin - Omakase Sushi

Yashin Sushi - Searing Nigiri Sushi

Yashin do a couple of Omakase sets. If you are visiting Yashin, I would recommend putting your trust in the chefs to deliver you your meal. You will not regret it. Some of the seared sushi is theatrically prepared on a wooden block in front of you. Nice! All of it was fantastic… but four things really stood out… Seared Spot Prawn with Foie Gras, Wagyu Beef, the Fatty Tuna and finally the Seared Salmon with Ponzu Jelly. Seriously good…

I also tried their Tamago… similar to a castella… but this version has prawns. Not your usual Tamago.. but more like a soft cake. Just divine.

Yashin - Lovely cake like Tamago

Next… Hamaguri Nigiri

Yashin - Hamaguri Nigiri

Ok ok.. I should have stopped eating at this point… but then the big clams sitting their happily caught my eye so I asked if I could have one. Chef Yasu-san picked a heavy clam out, cleaned and prepared it. This produced two pieces of nigiri. One of the clam itself, the other a gunkan wrapped in persimmon (a kind of sharon fruit) topped with the ribbon and other parts of the clam, layers on a couple of slices of grape… total genius. The second piece was something else. It was like an explosion of the sea on your tongue.

Finally.. Shiso Sorbet..

Yashin - Shiso Sorbet

They have a couple of sorbets for dessert.. a Shiso one an a Yuzu one. The shiso one caught my eye. It had a wonderful spongy texture to it.

The miso soup is also fantastic. The dashi is rich and smokey, made with nameko mushrooms and served delightfully in a tea cup.

Yashin - Miso Soup

The menu also has several starters, carpaccios and rolls. They also serve a really good range of high quality sakes including a couple of my favourites. The sake is kept on ice for you, like wine, and topped up by the waiters regularly… very nice! They also have some really good quality green teas – I recommend the Gyokuro. If you want to sample their sakes they have a couple of sake tasting sets.. which are served up in a pretty cool way. When it came out.. I couldn’t help but smile…

Yashin - Sake Tasting

I already love Yashin. For me, its exactly what I expected it to be and much more… everything prepared by hand, in house from scratch by two chef who are brilliant at what they do…. but this is a place I will save for a treat when I’ve been good.

If you like Sushi of Shiori or Atari-Ya Swiss Cottage then you’ll like Yashin.

Go check it out and let me know what you think.

You can find Yashin at 1 Argyll Road, Kensington, London W8

you might also be interested in...

• Where to eat ‘No Soy Sauce Needed’ Sushi in London – My Personal Top 3 Sushi Bars
• Atari-Ya Swiss Cottage – No Soy Sauce Needed Its Just That Good
• Abeno Too – Okonomiyaki in London