Itoshi
Nelson Road, SE10
The latest incarnation of the Restaurant Formerly Known As Thai Chung until it got burnt-out is one of those Japanese conveyor-belt jobs. It is, as far as I can tell, an independent, which is always A Good Thing. It's been open for a couple of weeks now, and I thought it was about time I popped in.
I guess the watchword here is Novelty. It's just fun watching your dinner going round on a little automated track, choosing what you fancy as it goes by. It works on the same system as the Yo-Sushi chain - plates are colour-coded, you pile 'em up as you go along, and they count the different coloured plates at the end. It's good as you never order more than you can eat and fear of the embarrassment of having so many empty plates you can't see over the top prevents you from being too much of a greedy pig.
The place is spartan - white-painted and unadorned with pictures or paintings. There are a couple of lucky gold waving cats and the odd pot plant and that's it. For me it's just a little too spartan - I don't mean they should get flock wallpaper or paper garlands and fancy lanterns or anything, and I know that Japanese style is generally quite minimalist, but it does feel a bit, well, unfinished. Perhaps it is. I don't know whether they'll add any more to it later.
Most of the place is taken up with the shiny new conveyor belt and bar stools, though there are a couple of tables if you want to order food-to-measure.
So. Is it any good? I'd say it's not bad. I didn't find myself hyperventilating over either the choice or the quality, but save for one very sad-looking bowl of snow peas that trundled miserably around, looking just that little bit older every time it went by, the sushi was fresh, perfectly enjoyable and nicely presented. Hardly pricey either. I always find sushi far more filling than it looks and I felt nicely satisfied by the time I left and happy-enough about the experience that I stopped in at the new Japanese grocery store on Trafalgar Road to buy some sushi-making ingredients on the way home.
This isn't Ginza. It isn't even Zin. But the service is friendly and very sweet ("Please tips me..." says the little saucer next to the till of a completely automated service...) the dishes perfectly enjoyable and the experience fast and filling. And of course it is far better than its near-neighbour, the appalling Noodle Time, which surprises me every time I go past in that it still manages to find customers. Check it out - take the kids - the fun bit is definitely the food going round.
The latest incarnation of the Restaurant Formerly Known As Thai Chung until it got burnt-out is one of those Japanese conveyor-belt jobs. It is, as far as I can tell, an independent, which is always A Good Thing. It's been open for a couple of weeks now, and I thought it was about time I popped in.
I guess the watchword here is Novelty. It's just fun watching your dinner going round on a little automated track, choosing what you fancy as it goes by. It works on the same system as the Yo-Sushi chain - plates are colour-coded, you pile 'em up as you go along, and they count the different coloured plates at the end. It's good as you never order more than you can eat and fear of the embarrassment of having so many empty plates you can't see over the top prevents you from being too much of a greedy pig.
The place is spartan - white-painted and unadorned with pictures or paintings. There are a couple of lucky gold waving cats and the odd pot plant and that's it. For me it's just a little too spartan - I don't mean they should get flock wallpaper or paper garlands and fancy lanterns or anything, and I know that Japanese style is generally quite minimalist, but it does feel a bit, well, unfinished. Perhaps it is. I don't know whether they'll add any more to it later.
Most of the place is taken up with the shiny new conveyor belt and bar stools, though there are a couple of tables if you want to order food-to-measure.
So. Is it any good? I'd say it's not bad. I didn't find myself hyperventilating over either the choice or the quality, but save for one very sad-looking bowl of snow peas that trundled miserably around, looking just that little bit older every time it went by, the sushi was fresh, perfectly enjoyable and nicely presented. Hardly pricey either. I always find sushi far more filling than it looks and I felt nicely satisfied by the time I left and happy-enough about the experience that I stopped in at the new Japanese grocery store on Trafalgar Road to buy some sushi-making ingredients on the way home.
This isn't Ginza. It isn't even Zin. But the service is friendly and very sweet ("Please tips me..." says the little saucer next to the till of a completely automated service...) the dishes perfectly enjoyable and the experience fast and filling. And of course it is far better than its near-neighbour, the appalling Noodle Time, which surprises me every time I go past in that it still manages to find customers. Check it out - take the kids - the fun bit is definitely the food going round.
Labels: Eating Out
posted by The Greenwich Phantom at
09:40
6 Comments:
Friends of mine were unimpressed, but then they are veggies so they must have got stuck with the snow peas. I'm always slightly mystified about what would appeal to veggies about sushi.
Will be interesting to see how they survive when you can Eat As Much Chinese place opposite for the same price as a couple of dishes in the Sushi place. They have been dead when I walk past each evening. Same staff as the Thai restaurant that used to be on that site - I remember one of the oriental girls in the old Thai place who would always be there picking her spots on her face - she seems to have stayed and is back now it has become a sushi bar. I think they will need to do a promo tariff to build business.
actually, i've been twice, there are seem to be more options every time i go. Definately worth a try
Just looks like another dull fast food joint thrown up in a hurry to compete in the low-expectation tourist market along with the dreadful buffet opposite, the ghastly Tex-Mex on the corner and all the other abismal eateries in the middle of an increasingly scruffy Greenwich. Bad decor, cheap signage; all easy to rip down in a hurry when RNH jack the rent up.
Central Greenwich is practically a no-go for any self-respecting resident, left to skirt the edges of the park and lurk around Royal Hill to avoid the dross!
With regards Noodle Time surely it beats the filthy Tai Won Mein which is also hot, dark and generally unpleasant?
Indeed. Tai Won Mein is definitely the worst eaterie in town. No contest.
I'm hoping to give it a try soon. It's a shame the town centre is rather messy and lacklustre at the moment. I keep seeing groups of tourists being cajoled in to places like The Green Village or that Tex-Mex on the corner. Saying that, although it's a chain I do have guilty soft spot for GBK. :)
Post a Comment
Links to this post:
Create a Link
<< Home