Sushi of Shiori: Are you the one?

I've been on a Japanese binge recently it seems and this one was no exception. After hearing so much about Sushi of Shiori, I had to try it.

So on a cold wintry evening, I made my way to the upper side of town for their "Omakase" chef's tasting menu £40pp  We were greeted by the wife of this husband and wife team. She was really nice and it was a pleasure chatting with her.

I couldn't wait to dig in.

First course was a ritualistic bowl of miso soup made with red miso. Most of us are used to the white miso version but I actually like red miso. It gives a greater depth and saltiness in terms of flavour. You can even mix both when eating at home. The red miso soup was positively received on such a cold night and its heartiness and warmth was most welcoming.

Next was a bite size dish of squid that has been cooked for a full day and flavoured with dashi and Japanese seasoning.

Chewy and juicy. This makes a good nibble.

I took a sharp breath when this was presented. What a beautiful art arrangement. It speaks and haunts of exquisite delicate feminity, one of the many reasons I am in love with Japanese cuisine.

I was told that this is Scad with its skin seared and served with ponzu sauce. The flavours and balance follows the same theme as its visual impact, delicately mild with the ponzu sauce adding tartness.

A sashimi platter followed after. Instead of going into minute details of each sushi as there are many of these mentioned in other blogs, I'm going to talk about the visual element.

Again beautifully arranged to depict the sea. Two scallops resting on a big sea shell reminiscent of a pearl oyster. Next to it were three sashimi slices on a bamboo mat, like fish on twigs being barbecued at the beach. Below them are various sushis of salmon, prawns and octopus swimming in the sea with sea corals and vegetables depicted by the cucumbers and such. On a whole, your visual senses will have been very happy with this.

We were told that the scallops had a hidden surprise so this was the first thing I tried. I tasted something mushroomy, it was truffle paste which goes very well with the sweet melting flesh of the scallop. I love how the prawn sushi was served with the prawn tail added for visual effect.  This was no ordinary prawn sushi either as it had sea urchin resting on it. There was also fatty tuna minced with garlic and wrapped in nori and milk skin. 

Next came a procession of sushi. You can't help but appreciate the details and love that goes into making this. The sushis were great, warm sticky rice with the right balance of seasoning and tartness in the rice.

My favourite will have to be the Wagyu beef sushi.

Rounding up the savoury dishes was the Unagi rice wrapped in lotus leaves and smoked. You can smell and taste the smokiness which had infused into the rice. A slight twist on the traditional Unagi don.

The final course was a choice of one of the homemade ice creams. I was curious and ordered chestnut as my choice but could not forego green tea either so we ended up with three, sesame, chestnut and green tea.

Sushi of Shiori is good. I do think that they are one of the better ones you can find in London, dining here to savour the experience and the food comes at a "price". The amount of care and skill and being able to see the chef at work in a small and intimate setting is what sets it apart from the others.

Am I raving about it after? Sadly no.

Sushi of Shiori, 144 Drummond St, Camden, Euston, NW1 2PA
www.sushiofshiori.co.uk