Dotori review

ben

I've just had a quick meal at the new Korean-Japanese restaurant, opposite the Twelve Pins, and I want to recommend it. Nice atmosphere, even though the location isn't all that promising, and the sushi that I had was really excellent. It wasn't full, but a few new people came in while I was there. Keep it alive!

Ian

I'll definitely be giving it a go. I nearly went myself this evening but had sushi for lunch

matt

i'll be going, too

Mike from London

I have never got into sushi partly because my partner cannot abide the idea of eating raw fish. I will eat anything. Can someone please explain its appeal and tell me what to eat - is one obliged to eat whalemeat?

matt

Not all sushi contains fish. Get her to try some veggie sushi [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sushi](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sushi)

ben

They also have a large range of cooked Korean dishes.

rainbow_carnage

when it's done right, sushi and sashimi is fantastic. i haven't eaten meat or poultry in 15 years, but i have no problem eating raw fish. you just have to try it once. i doesn't taste how you think it would.

but it must be done right. the fish must be fresh. if you've never had it before, start off at a place like hana, who've gotten it right every time we've had their food. i had their salmon and tuna box on wednesday. it was delicious, and not bad value for money, when you consider the quality of the food.

matt

bento box in camden does brilliant food, too and tokyo diner in china town

rainbow_carnage

ooh, i love tokyo diner!

the japan centre is great for cheap sushi and lots of other japanese delights. the quality is not the same as at a 'proper' restaurant, but at that price, i can eat sushi every day.

there's another excellent japanese restaurant in soho. i think it's on brewer street. a japanese friend took me there last year, and everything we ordered was divine. the english descriptions on the menu were a bit vague, though, so she had to order for me.

Liz

@ MFL - a bit like RC, I don't eat meat but have been eating fish for about the last 6 years and loving my sushi! The taste is different from other stuff, but if you like smoked salmon or raw tuna steak then you'll like sushi. RC is also totally right about veggie sushi, which is lovely, or at proper Japanese places you can get veggie tempura, noodle dishes, tofu and so on. If you don't fancy wading through the v detailed wiki entry, here's a v basic guide (sorry if it's too basic but I had no bloody clue what I was doing the first couple of times I went to a sushi place so I assume that others might be in the same boat!). Sushi: this is the stuff with raw fish, rice and sometimes seaweed. Comes in two main types: rolls (fish in the middle, then rice, then often wrapped in sheets of seaweed, rolled up and cut into four or five pieces), and nigiri (blocks of rice with fish on the top, comes singly so you can test different kinds out without having to commit yourself to a whole plateful of the same thing). Sashimi: this is just slices of raw fish and it's usually more expensive per piece than sushi because you get a lot more fish. Sushi is probably an easier place to start if you're not quite sure how you feel about it. Then there are usually three things to go with your sushi/sashimi: Soy sauce: no explanation required! Wasabi: Japanese horseradish sauce, very hot - you mix a bit of it with the soy sauce in the little bowls they give you then dip your sushi in it. Picked ginger: I think this is meant to cleanse your palate in between pieces. I'm sure I've got lots of stuff wrong and others will add!

katiejane

A very very easy place to start would be an omelette nigiri. Eggs and rice - what's not to like?

The key to it, according to my Japanese friend who makes wonderful sushi, is that it must be freshly made and eaten and not refrigerated, as this dries the rice out.

I don't really get sashimi. I'm a wee bit squeamish about it anyway, but it really doesn't taste of anything at all.

matt

I agree the brewer street one is pretty good. i used to go there for my lunch japan centre is not cheap to sit down, not tried the sushi bar.

rainbow_carnage

@ matt - you're right. i didn't mean the sit down restaurant at the japan centre. i meant the sushi takeaway downstairs (and now in the shop next door). it's lovely to get a couple packs and eat them in the park on a sunny day.

Mike from London

Hmmm. Thanks guys - I don't see a romantic sushi dinner coming up any time soon. My partner will not touch rice either. This does rather limit one's dining experience.

Sounds like it will have to be a sushi boy's night out. :-)

Billy Bookcase

London's premier sushi can be had after a preprandial mission on the piccadilly line. Sushi Hiro is exactly opposite Ealing Common station but you do have to book and its cash only. Some rather odd opening hours too.

matt

I got a nice booklet/directory of Japanese restaurants around the country from Tokyo Diner Mike, I'll come and have sushi with you! strictly business of course

tosscat

Fuji Hiro in Leeds is one of my favourite restaurants (more like a cafe) in the world.

Colette

I used to work right by the Japan Centre. I pine for it almost every day.

Colette

@Matt - fancy trying the new Korean place sometime soon if you haven't already?

Ian

I went on Saturday. My review is:

better place (i.e. cleaner) than seven sisters.

Inauspicious start. We sat down and nobody came to seat us and give menus. After five minutes or so we got our own menus.

Very cheap starter - dumpling soup - was really nice

Sashimi - good, but we ordered the big plate and he came back with the small as he hadn't got any sea bass. He had also put on octopus and the like instead of sea bass without asking which was not great for my kosher friend. Perfectly nice but could have handled it better.

Maki - good taste, enjoyed it but came after the sushimi which we had already gobbled up.
Afterwards they gave us korean rice balls which were curiously pleasant.

Overall very good value for money (cheap) but not as generous sashimi slices as Seven Sisters Rd place. Waitress accidentally gave us too much change, then tried to disagree when we tried to correct it which was charming.

I'll definitely be frequenting. After all it is nearer and I love sushi.

bennyfromtheblok

I went last night with my g/f and I will be going back, but I hope that the service improves.

As seems to be the norm, they took quite a while to bring us the menus and our drinks which when they arrived my g/f's white wine was about as cool as argyle socks. The food was very nice, but in a wagamama style they just brought things out as and when ready which is fair enough if they tell you and you know, but I'd ordered my sashimi as a starter and got it after my Korean hot pot.

Both my starter and main were very good and well priced. My g/f is vegetarian and we said this at the start and ordered a tofu noodle soup - imagine her suprise when she found a prawn in it.... I was all ready to complain, but she would not let me as she felt sorry for them as they are new.

To sum up, it's no Zuma, but for the price it's very good - they just need to get the absolute basics right like getting you the menu and drinks quickly and bringing dishes in the correct order - they mentioned they will do take-away soon...they seem to only just manage to cope now...let alone with orders coming in over the phone. I really hope the place survives as we need more variety than Chicken, Kebab and Pizza joints in out area. They are on to a winner here, but like Bruce Lee tells us...they must focus!

Philistine'sMonster

Bruce Lee also said "YEEEEEEY AAAHH WOOOOH!" But that's not much use when you're in the restaurant business.

bennyfromtheblok

Well, what about Bruce Lee's shaolin style noodles - they've got a real kick!

Liz

Needs to go on the Directory, I think - any volunteers who have been and can put the map pin in the right place?

dion

We went to Dotori last week. We were too late for sushi apparently which we didn't quite understand so were forced into choosing from the Korean half of the menu. I had raw beef with egg yolk, rice and vegetables. Sounds odd but was delicious, loads of different flavours and was really fresh and very tasty. Would definitely go again. If it were on SGR, I think it would do a roaring trade but its location won't be putting me off next time.

dion

Oh, and the service was very good - friendly and efficient. My only criticism is that my beer could have been colder, but I do like my beer really, really cold.

matt

When we went they had run out of tuna, which I think given that somebody else had that excuse means that they simply aren't doing fresh tuna just yet? Understandable due to costs if you only have a small customer base.

Emma

Ooooh this all looks really promising. I will go as soon as I have the £££!

matt

Just drove past on my way home, hoping to grab something there tonight, only to find it's closed? What are it's opening hours/days? Have added it to the map.

tosscat

It closes on Saturday afternoon too.

andy

It was open at lunch today, but I had already eaten. WIll def go for the set lunch next week.