kurobuta

22 December 2014

Remember when I went restaurant hopping for the London Restaurant Festival's Japanese Journey? One of our stops was Kurobuta, a place that serves what they deem "Japanese junk/street food" - not quite the description I would give, it's more like dishes with a Japanese/fusion flair. In any case, I really enjoyed the selection on offer when I went there, so my sister and I decided to give them a go for a casual, tapas-style dinner when she was in London. We went to the Chelsea branch and sat at the small counter - it's a small, cosy restaurant, especially compared to the Marble Arch one which is much larger and more snazzy.

Without actually meaning to, we ended up with more fried food than we anticipated - oh well. It happens! First up were the sweet potato fries with soba-ko, which were quite delicious and not at all greasy, which is a plus. Then the Jerusalem Artichoke Chopsticks with truffled ponzu sauce arrived, which are quite original and the whole thing works. Kana and I love seafood, so the fried squid didn't escape us - a bit too much of the fried stuff at this point, but we ate it all up dutifully. 

Our favourites were the Tuna Sashimi Pizza & BBQ Pork Belly Buns. Obviously the "pizza" is nothing like its namesake, other than that there is a base and things are place on top, but it was really quite good - the crispy base somehow went very well with the sashimi, and the flavouring was spot on. As for the pork belly - I had tried it on the Japanese Journey so I knew it would be good, and it did not disappoint.

Although it looks like a small selection of food, we left quite happily satisfied - although we did have room for dessert, and picked up a cake from l'Eto on the way home (I will be writing about l'Eto soon!). The guy serving us at the counter was very friendly, with a true Australian accent (Scott Hallsworth, the founder of Kurobuta, is Australian), and we had a lovely evening. 













Don't go there expecting authentic Japanese food - that ain't happening. But for a menu with a twist that will give you plenty of variety and interesting ideas, it's a good one. Don't skip the pork belly, you won't regret it.


7 comments:

  1. Looks delicious! Rather too much than too little! xx

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  2. Kurobuta was one of my favourites of the year, I love the sashimi pizza too ;)
    Lots of love,
    Angie
    SilverSpoon London

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  3. Mm this looks incredible, Miho! 100% on my list for whenever I'm back in the UK - I think Japanese fusion food is one of my favourite things about London. So many quirky adaptations! I also loved Sticks'n'Sushi (:

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  4. I like the idea of this. Think I'll have to take a look at the menu, I bloody love fusion food!

    Nicola // pink-confetti.co.uk

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  5. I read Grace Dent's odes to the pork belly at Kurobuta and seeing as you went for it a second time, it must be excellent! The sashimi 'pizza' also looks truly beautiful (and healthy?) - this place is firmly on my list following your recommendation! Bone Daddies and Flesh'n'Buns have converted me into a Japanese fusion fan, and this place sounds amazing :) xx

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  6. YUMMY! Jap fusion? Fried? Crispy? Tasty? I'd be a super happy customer! I'm quite a fan of fusion or mix cuisine type food, it's all good by me!

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  7. Wowowow I need this. It looks SO GOOD! The squid and "pizza" look especially yummy. I love your photography btw :]

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