Sushi Experiences - San Francisco 2006 - 2007

Back populating experiences

Kyoto at van Ness Ave
Upon advise of the Japanese concierge at the Hotel.
No frills place, was blown away by the quality of the Torro.
I went back in 2009 to this place and was not impressed with the quality. Also the place had a strange smell..
Not expensive at beer at 1 USD

Sushi Rock in China Town
Nice, fresh, friendly.
Visited several time and converted some friends to Sushi lovers :-)
Went back in 2010 and ordered Tempura Udon... Wow! 

Hana Zen 115 Cyril Magnin St
Went there twice, for lunch, alone and one evening with friends.

They have a cheap lunch menu. I took a bento box. Tea was poored out for free and my cup filled up continiously. Sushi was fresh and tasted good. About $12

Evening a bit more expensive $25

I tried their famous yakitori's, but prefere what comes from the sushi bar.

Nice decor and we spend a pleasant evening.

Service was friendly.

Anzu - in hotel Nikko San Francisco 222 Mason Street

After some free dinners offered during the first days of the conference, we assumed that we could spend a bit more and treated ourselves to a dinner here.

Chique restaurant, seating is great and the service very correct.

I took the sashimi combination and this was superb; same reflections from my friends.

Sushi Experiences - London 2006 - 2007

Back populating experience from previous years:

• Tsunami - near Clapham North Station : Very nice decor, great to chillout but also nice place to go with friends or for a business lunch. Great food, wonderful presentation, I absolutely loved it even if it is not 100 % Japanese. Great tempura rolls, nice seared salmon sashimi, etc etc.... Good quality and about £ 25 -£30.
  
• Cho-San in Putney : Family run, small restaurant (living room idea), vitisted several times, very good quality paid about £75 for 2 , only open in evening
  
• Makiyaki in Wimbledon : Original sushi rolls, noramally good sashimi (it will give me my daily shashimi kick when in Wim) nice refurbed decor, open during middays. Fair pricing.
  Like the dessert upon take-away :-)
  
• Ichiriki Sushi House near Victoria: Very small restaurant with female japanese chef, very very fresh sashimi and lovely spicy tuna rolls or tempura rolls. Seating is not great and really simple, but you forget about all that, once you tried the food. £25
  
• Ikkyu Sushi on Goodge Street : Really japanese with very serious chefs. Lovely sushi, decor is not great but again, the quality is great and service with a smile. Also have super good fresh grilled fish (and this is a sashimi lover talking!)
  
• Feng Sushi on Fullham Road: Small place, mainly do delivery, their slogan is "If our fish was any fresher, you'd to slap it!" and that is true. Good qualilty £20
  
• Sakura between Oxford Circus and Bond Street: Good quality sushi and other japanese dishes, lots of Japanese customers, but find service bit arrogant and seating and decor not so good (tvs...). Av £30 pp
  
• Tomo opposite Sakura: 'MacDo' style restaurant, but the quality is good and friendly and not so expensive.
  
• Hare and Toitoise in Putney (next door Cho-San): More trendy look than cho-san, but nothing really special food-wise. Recommend going to Cho-San.
  
• Wasabi on Oxford Street: Very good choice for a take-away place and really cheap.
  
• Itsu serveral locations: like the one in South Ken where they have a loungy club bar upstairs. Good quality for a 'conveyor belt' place, bit noisy but still nice place to sit and chat with friends, always fresh but sometimes a bit too original food..., around £25
  
• Yo Sushi several locations: Just if there is no other possibility or want a quick sushi on the go , stick with the sashimi.... no japanese chefs here....but staff looking at the pictures on the menu and try to make something similar. £15-£20
  
• Wagamama several locations - Forget it, no sushi, no sashimi, not so japanese
  
• Sainsbury's and M&S: When you really don't have time and are desperate, get a sushi lunch box here. Bit tasteless though...