Wazen

Just note — I am reviewing the restaurant as a whole not just the food. When I go out to eat, the whole experience is important to me, not just the food. Don’t get me wrong, the food is paramount but I want to enjoy myself.
Firstly, communication by email with the manager was rather frustrating. In one of the press releases, I had read that they were doing to have a special vegan menu. As my guest was vegetarian, I emailed to double check that they would be able to do some vegetarian dishes for her as the menu on the website didn’t show that there was much. After several emails back and forth, the manager said that they couldn’t do any main meals other than tofu steak. Strike 1. This is London in 2015 — it’s not a meat restaurant, so they really should offer some veggies main meals.
It’s certainly not in the good part of King’s Cross — it’s further than you think from the station and easy to miss. It used to be a pub and definitely still feels like a pub with Japanese style heavy chairs. Staff, whilst friendly, just not clued up and seemed amateur. When we asked for the cocktail list, we were informed there were no cocktails. Again, we had read this in the press release. So we asked for fresh juices. But apparently these had finished? But surely that if they are fresh juices, they make these to order? Strike 2.
Eventually we ordered. I had no expectations by this point. Luckily my company was charming and we had much to discuss. So when the food arrived, I was more than pleasantly surprised. In fact, I was blown away with the taste and how beautifully it was plated. The truffled yellowtail carpaccio was succulent and fresh with the truffle adding a touch of richness. I had the most beautiful plate of sushi that I have ever eaten (I’ve never been to Japan) and with flavours to match. The Wazen salad (veg version) exquisite and all the vegetarian dishes whilst simple were well executed.
Don’t come here for the atmosphere, don’t come here for the cocktails but do come for food and sake.

So when I walked into Wazen, I commented that it kind of looked like Udon, the noodle spot. Turns out, it looked like that, because it was that. Udon had opened and closed within the year and now it is Wazen.
I totally understand why, it’s near King’s Cross but so out of the way that you’d never find it, even if you’re looking for it. It also still looks like a pub on the outside and only if you’re looking carefully would you see it’s a restaurant.
I only went to Udon once, so not shocked it’s gone. But for the love of everything that is holy in London, do NOT let the same thing happen to Wazen.
This is also a Japanese restaurant, but that’s where the similarities to Udon end. While that was casual, this is a much more formal sit down experience with food to match. Everything is carefully handmade. Everything is amazing.
And I mean that. Amazing.
We did a chef’s tasting menu and there wasn’t a single thing on there that wasn’t worth shouting about. The standout starters were the salmon zuke (little bites of heaven) and the tofu, which normally I wouldn’t care about but was so flavourful and with a ton of different types of mushroom. But even things like the beat room salad was great and I hate beat root.
Our main: the chicken namban, was some of the best prepared chicken I’ve ever had. And it came with a tartar sauce that I thought wouldn’t work but holy god worked so well!
And the sushi and sashimi: fresh, well prepared, beautiful, so tasty.
Dessert were two matcha cakes, which I’m not such a fan of, but were a light airy way to end a big meal.
So good. So so good. I plead with you London, do not let this spot go the way of Udon. You must not!