Over
the past few months, I’ve been to Eat Tokyo twice, and if I’m ever in Covent
Garden and struggling to decide on somewhere to eat, this restaurant will be at
the forefront of my mind.
Just
with Dishoom and On the Bab, it doesn’t take reservations and you have to
queue. This suggests the restaurant cares more about profits than comfort of
its customers. However, the fact that there are always droves of people queuing
outside the Covent Garden branch of Eat Tokyo means that these people deem the
food is worth queuing for.
The
first time I dined there, I had a salmon teriyaki bento box. There are a
variety of bento boxes at Eat Tokyo, ranging from sashimi, chicken katsu and
vegetarian. They range in price, but the most expensive bento box is £18. These two are both less than that (~£16 and £8.50, if I remember correctly):
Authentic Japanese food at its best!
For
£18, this box is a steal. The sashimi in the bottom left-hand corner was
incredible (the soft fish melted on my mouth), and sushi in the right-hand
bottom box went so well with the soy sauce that was placed on every table. The
tempura was crispy and delicious. The marquee item of the ensemble, the salmon
teriyaki, had been marinated to perfection. I consider seafood generally a more
healthy option than red meat, so it pleased me that what I was eating was good
for the taste buds as well as the body.
So
taken was I with the high quality (and almost-too-good-to-be-true prices) of
the sushi and sashimi, that on my second visit to Eat Tokyo, I had the sushi
box. With a dollop of wasabi sauce and sitting on a bed of rice, this was
authentic Japanese dining that was also so yummy! And look how well the colours
complement each other:
I
also had a side helping of tempura, as I liked the tempura I had in my bento
box so much from my first visit. The majority of this dish was fabulous,
although the vegetable tempura was probably the least impressive item I’ve had
at Eat Tokyo. There was nothing wrong with it per se, it just didn’t match the
ridiculously high standards set by the sashimi and salmon.
There
is also a nice collection of soft drinks, at prices that are much cheaper than
other Covent Garden eateries charge.
For
people who like their dining experiences with a side order of subservience, Eat
Tokyo might prove to be somewhat of a rude awakening. The service at Eat Tokyo,
like at restaurants in the adjacent Chinatown, is perfunctory to the point of
being curt.
On
the plus side, because waiters and waitresses don’t wasting time pretending
they like their customers, the food is at least delivered in an expeditious
manner.
Personally,
I don’t think the service here merits the 12.5% service charge they help
themselves to; it would be better if they didn’t add service charge onto the
bill and allowed people to decide for themselves whether they wanted to tip (I
suspect most wouldn’t). But at least we’re not in America, with their 20%-type
tips (New York was difficult for me in that respect!), so I guess I’ll count my
blessings.
However,
the management helping themselves to an undeserved tip is my only major foible
with Eat Tokyo. Overall, like its Korean Covent Garden neighbour, On the Bab,
Eat Tokyo is worth queuing up for. For the prices charged, you won’t find food
anywhere else in central London that is simultaneously as nutritious, delicious
and photogenic as that in Eat Tokyo.
Once
you’ve eaten at Eat Tokyo, you’ll always want to eat at Eat Tokyo.
Grade:
A
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For more of my restaurant reviews, click here. As you can see, I don't often give out As!
If you'd like me to review your restaurant, email me at lemon_and_lime7@hotmail.com.
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