Makiyaki

Well, after my Tsunami experience a couple of weeks ago, I was a bit nervous about a new sushi place — but at least this one didn’t cost the earth… I didn’t have to worry anyway, as Makiyaki is very very good.
Their rolls are in the ‘American’ tradition — some weird and wacky ones, many involving cream cheese, and one involving being grilled so cheese melts on top of salmon (disclaimer: we ordered this purely because it was called Lion King). We also had ‘scallop volcano’ — goodness knows what was in it but it tasted jolly good. As with many of these rolls, some of the flavours get lost, but the ‘purer’ ones are also good if you want to tatse the eel, say, and all of them are flavoursome and generously sized.
We ordered way too much food so I can comment on: veg tempura (good and a huge portion but a little greasy), edamame (standard), house salad (dressing addictive), salmon teriyaki (delicious and a generous size), gyoza (odd, a little bit like cheese and onion pasties though obviously cheeseless — do they have potato in?), eel nigiri (excellent), and the aforementioned sushi rools.
It didn’t break the bank for all that plus a couple of Asahi — we were there for over 2 hours too. Friendly unobtrusive service and you can see the chef working. The place lacked atmosphere but it was Saturday lunchtime — and regardless, I’ll be back. There’s a roll called ‘Lambada’ that just screams out for a try.

Maki Yaki is a nice little sushi restaurant just up Merton rd. from the South Wimbledon tube station. It’s pretty convenient for anyone in between South and regular Wimbledon stations.
The majority of the menu is dedicated to their sushi roll creations. I’ve been back twice now because they were so good. The rolls are not very traditional, but more a western take on sushi as the manager is from California. Still delicious and they do the more simple nigiri dishes as well.
I would recommend it for a casual meal, it’s decently priced and has a quiet atmosphere. You’ll walk away full for about £20 and two people can share 3 – 4 rolls. I definitely will be back when the sushi-​mood strikes.

After my trips to the western seaboard of the USA, I so miss good sushi back in London. There are just such a profusion of simple sushi restaurants in San Francisco and Seattle serving top class fresh fish.
Places like Nobu and Roka are of course great but prohibitively expensive for everyday dining. I was therefore intrigued when a friend recommended Maki Yaki to me recently. It had opened on the site of a Korean restaurant close to my house and I hadn’t bothered to investigate its menu properly.
Well, my search for an affordable SW London equivalent of the small high quality USA sushi restaurant is over. They serve a limited menu which is a good sign.
There are some starters divided into cold and warm sections. I had a nice kara age — soft moist chicken deep fried and served with a piquant sweet sauce. I then continued with one of their combination dinners — miso soup and salad served with some of their lovely fish. My selection came with tuna and salmon sashimi and red dragon roll (deep fried prawn wrapped in avocado and tuna). Lovely fresh ingredients and sweetest fish.
My only fear is now for my bank balance! There is a mouth-​watering array of different rolls to try as well as teriyaki and tempura dishes. I’m also going to bug them to add toro to the menu!