So Japanese

There’s something thoroughly urban about the ground floor of So, with its lampshades hung low over the counter, mirrors and signs, all suggesting a bustling atmosphere. We’re led downstairs however, to the altogether darker, quieter basement, which seems just a teeny bit characterless by comparison, however my companion disagrees and prefers this room’s tranquillity.

Being stuck in the basement (which admittedly, does fill up pretty quickly) turns out to be the only niggle of a tremendously delicious meal. The scallop salad has four of the tender shellfish drizzled with a light mayonnaise dressing and a mountain of sliced daikon. The seaweed and edamame salad with soy dressing is as savoury as food gets, or as the Japanese call it, “umami”. There is plenty of sushi on the menu too - nigiri, maki and sashimi sets - we opt for the hosomaki, six thin rolls stuffed with bright pink salmon. They are out of the ingredients for the mixed seafood grill, so the grilled scallops have to do instead, and they are perfect, pearl-coloured meaty little morsels that taste slightly sweet because of a miso and sake marinade. The Wagyu flank steak has also been marinated in miso; it’s slightly sweet, with a grassy aftertaste, and the juicy, pink-in-the-middle meat melts in the mouth. Is it worth splashing out £28 for? Oh yes.

Then it’s time for dessert. Far Eastern countries are not renowned for the sweet part of the meal (even if Japan does produce wonderful confectionery) however at So they’ve allowed European influences into the mix. The pumpkin crème caramel is more spongy cake than French flan; nutty with just a hint of sweetness, it is perked up considerably by a dollop of supremely tart raspberry sorbet. The dessert of the day turns out to be a trio of exquisite puds: a green tea cake we initially mistake for a chocolate brownie, a helping of purplish black bean ice cream with sesame, and a velvety apricot pannacotta. It’s the best of Japanese with the odd Western flourish, and it’s great.