The traditional Japanese Sushi Bar located in Jerusalem Passage in Clerkenwell has won rave reviews since it first opened thanks to its honest, unpretentious style.
The eatery is run by the husband and wife team of Harumi and Toru Takahashi. Serving only sushi and sashimi - no miso, in fact no hot food at all - it’s the quality of the ingredients and deft preparation which take centre-stage and bring diners in their droves to the seven, meagre, seats at the bar.
Chef Toru served his apprenticeship at Kobe but was born to head-up his own venue, constructing his fishy masterpieces in front of your eyes. And so it is no surprise that reservations are hard to come by - and at the time of writing, no further reservation are being taken due to the backlog. Take your ticket and wait your turn...
The rest of the top 3 are comprised of Restaurant Gordon Ramsay (number 2) - last year’s winner and The Ledbury (number 3), previously a 4-time winner.
New entries in this year's list include seasonal British champion Clipstone in Fitzrovia (number 16); Pidgin (number 24) serving an ever changing 4-course asian-sinspired menu; and the first-come-first-served modern bistro, Padella (number 33).
All In London: Ultimate London Restaurant List 2017, Top 10:
1. Sushi Tetsu - Score: 9.200
2. Restaurant Gordon Ramsay - Score: 9.111
3. The Ledbury - Score: 8.841
4. Pitt Cue Co - Score: 8.600
5. Alain Ducasse At The Dorchester - Score: 8.444
6. Le Gavroche - Score: 8.409
7. Dinner By Heston Blumenthal - Score: 8.408
8. Sketch (The Lecture Room) - Score: 8.389
9. Pollen Street Social - Score: 8.200
10. Marcus - Score: 8.167
Check out 2017's full Ultimate London Restaurant List, here.
As for the year ahead… tipped for success in 2018’s list:
1. Kiln - new from the people behind the Smoking Goat
2. The Barbary - North African small plates
3. Kriket - From a shipping container in Brixton to Soho, highly rated Indian
4. The Arkai - A 9 seater, with eye-wateringly expensive Sushi from a Japanese master
5. Elystan Street - From Phil Howard, previously of The Square
Sushi Tetsu tops Ultimate London Restaurant List
There are 15 new entries in the top 100 and a new number 1... the tiny 7-seater Sushi restaurant Sushi Tetsu.
Published Aug 18, 2017