We were sad when Roji, one of London’s standout omakase experiences, announced it was closing last year
The news was softened, however, by the fact that the husband-and-wife team behind Roji, Tamas Naszai and Tomoko Hasegawa, were soon to open HIMI a “Neo-Izakaya” in Carnaby Street a few months later, offering a more casual a la carte menu of sushi and snacks.
Eat This
It’s a bit bigger than the 10 seat Roji, but HIMI is still a charmingly tight space with four window seats, a long kitchen counter bar and a dining room at the rear. In our book this all adds to the vibe of the place, which brought back some fond memories of squashing into tiny stand-up sushi bars in Tokyo basements. There’s a few outdoor seats too, so you can try your luck with one of these if HIMI is showing as booked out online (which it frequently is).
As with Roji, HIMI is committed to using British and European ingredients wherever possible. To begin, order the Kabuki-Age, Yorkshire beef tartare with celeriac and wild capers, served on a crisp rice cracker; and the Shojin tofu, which is made in-house and topped with enoki mushroom and shojin dashi. Don’t miss the fried chicken, served two ways: as chicken wing ‘lollipops’ dusted with sansho pepper and as boned-out nuggets with kombu mayo.
Next up, we’d very much recommend getting the Ebichili, red shrimps cooked on the charcoal robata grill and served with a pepper and squid ink sauce, along with their crispy deep fried heads.
Given how good the sushi at Roji was, you won’t want to miss it at HIMI. You can go a la carte, or get a chef’s selection of five nigiri for £29, which really isn’t bad considering the quality of the ingredients and skill of the chefs. We loved the sea bass, tuna, and especially the fatty trout, gently kissed with a blowtorch before serving. Sushi is served with housemade pickled fennel instead of the traditional pickled ginger, and honestly, we preferred it.
Desserts are well worth your attention too: there’s sake lees and Hojicha ice cream, and Dioka, walnut cookies with sake kusu custard, a dish based on Tamas’ childhood memories in Hungary.
Drink This
HIMI is an Izakaya after all, so drinks are a big part of the experience. There’s beers from Siren brewery on draft, a good wine selection, Japanese whisky, cocktails, and the like. For us, it’s all about the sake, and there’s a great selection by the glass and carafe, as well as a couple of exclusives that you can’t get anywhere else in the UK. We particularly enjoyed the Tsuchida KIMOTO, a brewery that’s using traditional natural processes (in a similar vein to natural wine).
Why Go
Simply put, HIMI is one of London’s best Japanese restaurants. If you have any interest at all in Japanese food, it’s an essential visit.
Key Information
Address | 4 Newburgh St, Carnaby, London W1F 7RF
For more information | himi.uk