Apparently, the month of August is counted as summer in London. I guess the weather has other ideas. Well at least for the first two week of August anyway.

I was determined not to allow the gloomy weather to ruin my experience at the new Japanese restaurant called Anzu in St Jame’s market. I wanted to share the experience with my girlfriend whom I invited to join me as she is a foodie too. We got off Piccadilly circus tube station which is the nearest tube station to Anzu. In fact Anzu is less than five minute walk from the station (depending on how fast you walk) which makes it perfect for public transport links.

Seeing that we wanted to have lunch, we got to the restaurant around 2pm and got shown to our seats by a very helpful waitress. As we sat down, I noticed that the restaurant was half full inside and no one outside but of course it was raining. The idea for us getting there at 2pm was to skip the central London corporate workers lunch crowd and I guess it worked.

Instead of wine or any other beverage, we ordered Sake the staple Japanese alcoholic drink. If you have tasted Sake before then you would know that the first sip would always hit you hard at the back of your throat.

For my starter, I had three of the most delicious dumplings I have had in a long time. The prawn filling was very succulent and of course the dumplings disappeared in no time at all.

The next dish I had was Scallap Shashimi with Satsuma Ponzu and shiso oil. This was served on a bed of ice to keep it at the right temperature in order to preserve the delicate scallop. I implore any Shushi love to try this. Excellent choice.

For my third plate of food, I went for a warmer meal option. I ordered the Miso grilled Mackerel and pickled Radishes. It truly went down a treat.

Anzu is a Japanese dining room and bar in the newly opened St. James’s Market quarter.
Serving from noon, they offer an a la carte brasserie-style menu for lunch and dinner and a comprehensive bar menu throughout the afternoon.
From late afternoon, they offer the Theatre Menu with 2 courses for £20 and 3 for £24.

Cocktails, Japanese whiskies and a list that combines wine and sake by the glass, flask or bottle have been carefully chosen to complement Kensuke Yamada’s menus.

If you haven’t been yet, I encourage you to go check it out and come shear your experience.