Anzu

3 Reviews on “Anzu”

• Selina

  I love this place for a number of reasons. The menu is simple and reliable. There is a bit of everything from gyoza, tofu and vegetable side dishes, some simple sashimi and seafood sides and there is one of each of the regular mains dishes you might expect from ramen to katsu curry to teriyaki. However it is all on one page, with just enough variety without the confusion of too much choice. The food is not wow, however it is good and enjoyable. The wine list is great and the staff know a thing or two about food and wine pairing and do enjoy helping you choose. I love this little hidden away part of St James. St James market is a spacious little pedestrian area just off the main road away from wondering crowds. Especially in the summer, the outside seating is perfect for a light lunch or dinner and some drinks. I have been here twice in one week and I’m sure I will be back again!

  August 15, 2017, 12:08 am

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• Triska

  Went here during the soft launch when food was half price and menu was limited. We ordered a fair amount, the chicken and prawn starters were fab. 8 had the vegetarian katsu thinking it would be katsu curry – it wasn’t. Just some vegetable tempura on a bed of cabbage with no sauce to go with it. The mushroom ramen was OK. The teishokus however were brilliant and would recommend you stick with them.

  February 19, 2017, 8:51 pm

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• Alice Gee

  We attended the discounted soft launch, where Anzu is still ironing some service problems in the kitchen as they have only been open for a few days. Front of house was already very polished.It’s a lovely space tastefully decorated in wood and stone with warm greys and caramels. Comfortable chairs, fab hushed acoustics despite background music, lovely floor to ceiling windows, and soft lighting that is flatteringly dim but where you can still read the menu. Suitable spot for bringing a date.Starters were terrific. Chicken karage, consisted of terrifically crisp, deep fried wedges of chicken thigh. Very tender, not greasy, a large portion and a lovely clean and acidic dipping sauce. Prawn korokke (croquettes to you and me) were nice and light. Four to a portion. Discernable chunks of prawn, and heavier on mashed potato than bechamel. Fried at a slightly lower temperature than the karage so the panko crumb coating on the korokke did taste a little greasier than the chicken. I was disappointed that the spinach gomae was sold out but the tomato salad I got instead was probably the best tomato salad I have ever eaten. Good quality sweet tomato quarters had been skinned, and there was a tiny bit of grated onion scattered over the tomato which added a lot of umami, as well as rocket. Dressing was slightly sweet and contained soy, vinegar and sesame seeds but no oil. A very tasty, light dish that was a beautiful contrast to our other deep fried starters.My companion and I were both a little let down by our mains. My charshu ramen, was made with chicken broth and garnished with pork slices as well as a perfectly runny boiled egg, some rocket and sesame seeds. Unfortunately the dish was ruined by a broth that was too salty for my taste. I expect this was a one off error due to the restaurant being newly open. My dining partner had the seabass nanbanzuke teishoku. Teishoku is not served in a bento box, but is very similar content wise. It consists of rice, miso soup, salad, and pickles accompanying the protein star. The seabass was perfectly panfried with a very thin crisp skin under the vinegar and soy based sauce. Enoki mushrooms were also smothered in the sauce. There must have been a timing problem with our order because the fish, rice, and miso soup all arrived tepid. My companion is a real stickler about food temperature so he found this disturbing. I imagine this is the type of problem that gets ironed out during the soft launch period. He mentioned the lukewarm fish to the waitress, and his dish was kindly removed from the bill which was very generous given that we were only paying half price during the soft launch.Standard of some of the cooking is great, but I think we experienced a few teething problems what with the restaurant being open for such a short time. We ordered a bottle of the cheapest house red at 24, which was from the Basque country and very nice. I’m confident that if I come back in a few weeks time I would score this restaurant more highly.

  February 10, 2017, 2:29 am

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