Makiyaki

I was pleasantly surprised to see a Japanese restaurant in Epsom and, while it wasn’t all good news, there were certainly enough positives to go back.
The aubergine starter was very nice; light tempura batter, aubergine slices just the right thickness to make eating with chopsticks straightforward and drizzled in a nice sauce.
Tuna and salmon sashimi were also good; fresh fish, sliced thinly and presented as well as I’ve seen in Japan.
The main courses were slightly disappointing, though (although not enough to stop us eating everything). The chicken yakisoba was so-​so, lacking in flavour (and chicken, unfortunately) and little better than the generic Asian noodle dishes you’d find in Wagamama. I’m not sure that the noodles were soba either.
The prawn tempura donburi tasted fine, but was served on a plate with a salad garnish. Why this dish wasn’t served in a more traditional bowl is beyond me, especially as spreading it over a plate allowed enough water to leach from the rice to make the whole thing look like a kind of weak stew.
So, positives and negatives. But there was enough about this place — some dishes, décor, location, staff — to see the potential. Reasonable value too. So worth a visit.

When I passed this place recently a few panels on the frontage had been damaged!

Quick glance:
+ good Japanese cuisine in Surrey
+ very nice staff
+ wide selection of fresh sushi’s
+ reservation recommended
Full review:
It’s great to have a decent Japanese restaurant in Epsom. It may not be the best sushi in the UK, but the selection is tasty and the ingredients are fresh. The food is a bit on the pricey side, but it’s a nice treat to come once in awhile. The venue looks small, with only half a dozen of tables on the ground floor, but there is an upstairs (although I haven’t seen it used for dining), so reservation is recommended.

I now have a few local go to places & this is one of them.
They have a great selection of rolls, tempura, noodles & sashimi. The interior is cosy & service is friendly.
A refreshing change from the same old chains that dominate our high streets!

we have been living in epsom for 6 years and there are very few decent places… epsom has a very poor selection of restaurants frustratingly… THEREFORE discovering MakiYaki has been a life saver as its by far the best restaurant in the area! the selection of food on the menu is great — lots of choice! the sushi selection is SPECTACULAR — i eat ALOT of japanese food but ive never seen such a creative selection of sushi and they are so tasty as well. their baked sushi dishes are a must to try and their spicy sauce and eel sauce compliments the maki rolls very well. even if u dont live locally this restaurant is worth travelling all the way to epsom for! enjoy. ps. its closed on sundays and bank holidays unfortunately :(:(

Visited for the first time today. They remembered Yee as well! The gentleman greeted me and to my surprise informed me I did not need to book even though it was lunchtime. he patiently went through the menu and explained the options, I have never been to tihis type of restaurant before, so did not understand the menu, or what actually I would be eating. Pity really, but I had already got a booking eslewhere, however I will recommend them, as they were so patient with a old brit like me!

Not having lived in Epsom for very long, we have found it hard to find restaurants in the area that are appealing enough for us to make an effort and leave the house. Usually this is based on trusty internet reviews, but in this instance we didn’t manage to see Yee Gan’s review before we decided to take a punt; so we went in not knowing what to expect.
Massive fans of Japanese food and this place ticks most boxes. The place is modern and cosy with friendly staff and most importantly, great food.
Japanese menus can be a little intimidating, not knowing how much to order. However staff were very helpful and did not make us over-​order. I don’t normally go for menus with pictures on them, but in this case I think it probably helped — not sure about some of the names of the dishes though… ‘scallop volcano’, which we actually tried.
Incidentally, it was the tastiest scallop volcano Ive had. Massive pear drops to look forward to with the bill, which IMO was very reasonable. c.£45 for two (including beer) and we were full and satisfied.

Epsom is lucky to have quite a selection of restaurants but the choice is quite narrow — a lot of Italians, some Indians, 2 Thais, one Chinese and one Mediterranean. In fact, Surrey as a whole doesn’t have a foodie feel, unlike areas west of London like Berkshire, which is full of Michelin starred establishments.
So, I was very excited to see Makiyaki’s sign over the door of this restaurant site. This had housed Oliver’s in the past, one of my favourite restaurants in Epsom which sadly closed.
A Japanese restaurant is certainly a novelty in this part of Surrey and they’ve opened in Epsom’s own restaurant row area of South Street. Makiyaki will however be able to draw on the experience of their established sister restaurant of the same name in south Wimbledon.
They’ve initially opened up just the ground floor, going with a modern theme, complete with jazz music.
The menu leans strongly towards sushi with half the menu dominated by a great variety of rolls, all complete with photo. There are cooked options for the squeamish as well as the traditional raw fish. You’ll also find Japanese stalwarts on the menu as well as the occasional Asian interloper like Korean bulgogi.
My starter of chicken karaage came as about 10 moist bite size bits of chicken in crispy seasoned batter served with sweet chilli dipping sauce. It’s easy to dry out this dish but this was an excellent version.
For main, I went for the special sashimi set. This started off with a bowl of miso soup and some Japanese salad, which was covered in a moreish dressing. Then, the piece de resistance. A beautifully presented slab on which was placed 3 very generous slices each of salmon, tuna, yellowtail and sea bass as well as 3 slices of California roll. A little hill of gari (pickled ginger to clean your palate between mouthfuls) and wasabi completed the plate.
The glistening look and clean smell of the fish revealed its first class sourcing and it was lovely to chew and savour each thick slice.
The pricing, as for most Japanese food, isn’t cheap but for this quality, it’s value for money. The food is also available for takeaway.
The presence of a Japanese restaurant in the heart of Surrey brings a big smile to my face. Is Epsom ready for raw fish? I certainly hope so!