A few weeks ago I got chatting on twitter to Pat from Koji Restaurant in Parson’s Green in London. We had a natter about what they were up to down there, then a bit about sushi and wine pairings, and the “oh I must come down some point”. Well that some point happened last week, as I went out for dinner with my future brother-in-law and his mates.
Anyone who’s lived in or visited London knows that it’s a pretty far spread out city. I’ve lived here for coming on ten years but can count on one set of fingers the amount of times I’d been down to Parson’s Green way. It’s got to be something special to brave the hour-long journey down from Camden. But Japanese food is right up there for me and, from the pictures and reviews, this place looked the nuts.
It was a great atmosphere in the place. It was sleek, but not too knobby, which is a balance a lot of places mess up. Starting with cocktails and then heading to the wine list, I basically made my way through their selection from the French region of Alsace. This place is renowned for producing refreshing but very fruity, floral, and spicy white wines. That should stand us in good stead for the range of food to come.
The food was amazing. From the starter sharer platters, to the black cod miso, and finishing with the inside out rolls. All perfectly cooked but, I don’t know about anyone else, I’m just obsessed with the colours of this kind of food. The food just glows on the plate, obviously in a non-radioactive sense. And the wine pairings went just great. Enough fruit and flower to lift the tastes, but not too much to overpower the food. I was pretty chuffed with it!
We all loved it. Pat and Mark and all the staff were great hosts. If you’re in the area it’s definitely worth a trip or five in the coming weeks!
Cheers
Mike
