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Bamboo Mat, London E10: ‘I can’t replicate this food at home, so I’ll have to go back’ – restaurant review | Grace Dent on restaurants
It’s impossible not to want this place to succeed
Nikkei, being a term not wildly known outside foodie circles, perhaps takes a little unpicking. It is where Japanese cuisine meets Peruvian – think salmon tataki, but with aji amarillo tiger’s milk, or maybe a plate of ornate, yellowtail kingfish maki rolls dotted with yuzu truffle soy and romano pepper. It’s raw fish meets heat and spice, with simple, clean Japanese plates sent slightly haywire by Peruvian influences such as sweet potato, chancha corn or vinegary anticucho sauce. Delicious, right?
The best known nikkei restaurant in London is the rather alarming Chotto Matte in Soho, which I have on my list of “absolutely abominable places that continue to thrive despite my hex”. In absolute fairness, I went only once, but, over the short period of time this multifloored hellscape took to whip £150 out of my purse, I concluded that it was not for me. Heavy on graffiti and flashing lights, the decor was described as “grunge”, but felt more like stage 1 of a migraine aura, while the service was so chaotic, I left convinced that the South American red titi monkeys at London zoo were handed their tea-time walnuts with more aplomb.
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