Zinnia is a Japanese fusion concept set in a beautifully renovated Georgian building housing a relaxed bar, a sophisticated basement lounge and a delicious restaurant with some of the best in Japanese cuisine. Cocktails are expertly mixed Japanese whisky and sake cocktails, as well as traditional and contemporary classics; lunchtime dishes include Bento boxes, light sharing plates and a range of sushi. This moves on to Asian-inspired afternoon tea from mid-afternoon, whilst the evening a la carte menu features highlights such as Sushi with Ahi tuna & Hamachi, Dorset crab, Aged sirloin tataki, Miso black cod and Szechuan glazed pork belly, lotus root, petit pear and ginger, as well as a range of mouth-watering Robata grill offerings and desserts to finish.
Zinnia
Japanese Restaurant in Fulham
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Zinnia Picture Gallery
All In London Review
Zinnia’s crowd-pleasing Japanese fusion menu is very accomplished
Proof is in the fact that it’s not even been open a month when we visit yet there’s a definite buzz about the place, albeit a well-heeled, well-mannered buzz.
The building is lovely: set within a Georgian townhouse, the first thing you see is the glamorous mirrored bar with a shiny lacquered countertop. The restaurant is behind this, a subtly lit room with scarlet red velvet furniture. There’s also a perilous-looking spiral staircase (featuring an exhilarating drop from top to ground floor) leading to a mezzanine level where the ceiling is filled with dozens of gold framed mirrors. The basement has a lounge, but we don’t venture down there.
The menu sticks to crowd-pleasers like miso-glazed black cod, tempura, yakitori and of course sushi of which the tuna is the best, fatty and soused with rich mayonnaise. We like the soft shell crab, a large, lightly battered portion complemented by some very umami crispy seaweed. Tempura king prawns are good, but we prefer the chicken yakitori, juicy pieces of chicken on skewers cooked on the robata grill.
The gold star goes to the lamb however. Four perfectly pink cutlets with a slither of fat around them, grilled lightly and beautifully tender – it’s the best lamb we’ve had in a while. Pity the honey-glazed duck breast that arrives at the same time doesn’t stand a chance. For dessert we share a frozen cheesecake with a dessicated coconut base and a dollop of vanilla mousse.
Aside from the waitress forgetting our cocktails we can’t fault the meal. Whether you love or loathe the Chelsea vibe there are some very accomplished dishes on offer here.
Reviewed by Leila
Published on Feb 17, 2015
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