@Abroad in Japan
I Tried Japanese Food in England
I Tried Japanese Food in England
The creator and his friend Jackie review five popular Japanese food chains in the UK, comparing their authenticity, flavor, and price to their Japanese counterparts.
1 plan · 5 places
Plan · 5 places · London, United Kingdom
UK Japanese Chain Food Tour
“Today's been a mixed bag, a pretty awful bag, but it's nice to know you can get good Japanese chain restaurant food here in the UK.”
1ItsuJapanese restaurant · London4.5 (214)Closed · opens 8 AMitsu - Oxford Street, 554 Oxford St, London W2 2UH, United KingdomCreator's voice- Sushi boxes · £ (not specified) — The sushi boxes look genuinely impressive and the price tag isn't too steep compared to restaurant sushi. The salmon is surprisingly nice, but the rice is really chewy and sticky, not independent like good Japanese rice. Overall, it's a 6/10.
2Coco IchibanyaJapanese curry restaurant · London4.4 (879)Closed · opens 12 PMCurry House CoCo Ichibanya London, 17-18 Great Newport St, London WC2H 7JE, United KingdomCreator's voice- Chicken Katsu Curry · £ (not specified) — The curry looks and smells like the CoCo Curry House in Japan. The curry sauce is thicker than normal Japanese curry, and the chicken katsu batter is a bit thicker and more impenetrable, but very nice and crispy. The rice is 100% better than Itsu's. It's authentic Japanese curry, but the duck is a bit dry. It's quite expensive, about four times the price of a Japanese Coco Ichibanya curry. The spice level only goes up to five here, compared to 20 in Japan, and it's not very spicy. Overall, it's an 8.5/10.
3Marugame UdonJapanese restaurant · London4.5Closed · opens 11 AMMarugame Udon (Oxford Circus) - Japanese Noodles & Tempura, 1-4 Argyll St, London W1F 7TA, United KingdomCreator's voice- Niku Tama Udon · £20 — This dish costs about £20, which is significantly more expensive than the 1,400 yen (approx. £7) it would cost in Japan. The noodles look anemic, gooey, and squishy, lacking the satisfying chewiness of regular udon. The soup is too salty, and the beef is tough, like 'aged beef jerky', unlike the thin, tangy beef in Japan. The toppings are alright, but overall, the dish is a 3/10.
- Chicken Teriyaki (UK special) · £ (not specified) — This is a UK special not found in Japan. It's just batter, which is pretty good, earning a 7/10.
- Ramune · £ (not specified) — At least they have Ramune, which is perfect for washing down the tough beef. The creator successfully opened it without it exploding.
4WagamamaRestaurant · London4.1Closed · opens 11 AMwagamama covent garden, 17 Bedford St, London WC2E 9HP, United KingdomCreator's voice- Edamame · £ (not specified) — The edamame is a good start; if they had screwed this up, the creator would have been worried.
- Chicken Katsu Curry · £ (not specified) — This is Wagamama's signature dish, with a more impressive presentation than Coco Ichibanya, but it lacks cheese. The chicken katsu needs more salt, and the curry tastes nothing like the Japanese equivalent; it's very light and pretty flavorless. The rice isn't bad. Overall, it's a 6/10.
- Gyoza · £ (not specified) — These gyoza are described as 'plasticky' and an 'atrocity', tasting like rubber. They came out very quickly. Unlike good gyoza which are crispy on top, soft underneath, piping hot, steamy inside with juicy pork, these are a 0/10.
- Ramen · £ (not specified) — This ramen has beef and kimchi, which are very rare in Japanese ramen, making it feel more like Asian fusion. The broth has the depth and flavor of a pebble, not rich enough. The noodles are too soft, as if boiled too long. The beef is just 'alright'. It also contains coriander, which is unusual. The yakisoba noodles are dry and underwhelming. The creator rates the ramen a 2/10, and then revises it to 'below zero' as an 'affront to culture'.
- Green Tea · Free — Wagamama offers free green tea, which Jackie rates as 9/10.
5IppudoJapanese restaurant · London4.4Closed · opens 12 PMIppudo Central Saint Giles, 3 Central Saint Giles Piazza, St Giles High St, London WC2H 8AG, United KingdomCreator's voice- Strong Zero · £ (not specified) — The creator's first Strong Zero in the UK, tasting pretty good. It's 6% alcohol instead of the usual 8% in Japan, which is probably a good thing.
- Ramen · £22 — The ramen smells and looks like the real thing, which is incredible. It has a beautiful bowl of ramen with chashu, egg, and nice thick soup. The soup tastes like Ippudo soup, the chashu pork is delicious, and the noodles are nice and thin, 'kata hard' style. The regular ramen costs £22, compared to 1,200 yen (approx. £6) in Japan. Despite the price and an abnormally large spoon, it's worth it because it's 'bloody delicious' and the 'real deal'. It's rated as the best meal of the video.
- Tiny Gyoza · £ (not specified) — Ippudo is famous for their tiny, one-bite gyoza. They are 'not bad' and are a stark contrast to Wagamama's gyoza.
5 extraction issues
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- collection "UK Japanese Chain Food Tour": member in a shape the assembler does not write: {"poi":"Coco Ichibanya","placeId":"ChIJQaVsZosFdkgRN2O5KZksAnA"}
- collection "UK Japanese Chain Food Tour": member in a shape the assembler does not write: {"poi":"Marugame Udon","placeId":"ChIJ_ZWnTHcFdkgRpoJKorn_3Cg"}
- collection "UK Japanese Chain Food Tour": member in a shape the assembler does not write: {"poi":"Wagamama","placeId":"ChIJO5BZkcsEdkgRXVz3nz5a3_k"}
- collection "UK Japanese Chain Food Tour": member in a shape the assembler does not write: {"poi":"Ippudo","placeId":"ChIJYfMcwzIbdkgRDpW2KdCKr_0"}