Easily one of the best sushi I tried in a long time. It was well prepared and presented by a friendly waiter. More than happy to come here again
This is the best sushi I have ever eaten.
There isn't a vast menu but what they do serve is out of this world it's so fresh well presented and tasty.
The owners are a fantastic couple who couldn't improve anything the whole experience was first class.
Booking is difficult as they are so busy but I didn't mind this as it shows just how good it is it was well worth the wait.
Thank you for a super evening will be back soon.
A real feast for the senses. Perfect balance between spices and excellent quality dishes. Great drinks referring to Asian tradition and recommend
Life by contrast is a wonderful thing.
If we didn't have things to compare things to, life would instead resolve into an unending joyless, dreary, mundane trudge. Or so that is what I tell myself every time I have a bad meal. It just serves to add to the spice of life. However, just don't say that to my face when I am digesting something rather foul. Otherwise I might end up writing something less than complimentary about you. So instead, what I think when something bad happens to me is that it adds an occasion to use as comparison later on - to make my sad moments just that little bit better.
Getting a seat at Sushi Tetsu is pretty much impossible – seriously. I’ve been trying for yonks now and as soon as they open for bookings (on the first and third Monday of each month for the following month) they’re engaged and then gone. The fact Sushi Tetsu has just 7 seats doesn’t help. The fact it’s bloody brilliant, doesn’t much help either.
Sushi Tetsu is the real deal. It is the authentic Japanese sushi restaurant, where you eat at a counter in an intimate setting while you watch your super chef expertly prepare each piece of nigiri, slice each piece of sashimi, grate real wasabi on shark skin, carefully combine each ingredient and serve it all the perfect temperature. And you don't even have to worry about ordering the right things because by saying the magic word "omakase" you will be served the best possible meal available.
We had the sashimi and sushi omakase menu (£88) but couldn't resist ordering a few extra pieces of sushi at the end. Everything was absolutely delicious but while good sashimi can be more easily found in other places, the real stand out here is the sushi. Some of the most delicious were the squid with cherry blossom salt and the melt-in-your-mouth seared fatty tuna.
Cannot recommend this place enough. They make you work to get a spot in their tiny restaurant, but it's worth the hassle!
Sushi Tetsu has been opened for more than 3 years. Why it has taken me this long to come here begs the question. Perhaps it is because it is almost impossible to get a seat at this little restaurant with only 7 seats around the sushi counter – the restaurant only takes bookings on two days a month and you you need a fair bit of luck to snag a seat here especially if you have a particular date and time in mind. This makes booking a table at the Fat Duck seem a piece of cake.
![Zomato]( "Recensione")
Those who have been fortunate enough to get a seat at Sushi Tetsu, know of the trauma attached to finally getting that coveted reservation at this 7 seater restaurant.
Harumi and Toru Takahashi set up shop in a tiny alleyway in Farringdon, with only 7 seats at the bar. It's so eye waveringly small you have to do a double-take. It feels so exclusive that like Sushi Tetsu was opened for the night just for you.
Sushi Tetsu offer only sushi and sashimi.
Purity at it's finest.
The fish is sourced only from Billingsgate market, and is laid out like an artistic masterpiece, ready to be sliced. Toru was trained from the kitchens of Nobu, and stands centre stage behind the imposing wood counter.
You know you're in the presence of a master.
Literally felt the urge to drop to my knees and say "we're not worthy..."
You'll only understand what I mean, if you go to Sushi Tetsu.
Ambiance?
Think like a little piece of Japan, just set up shop in London.
Nothing else in the city even compares to Sushi Tetsu.
Instant transportation. Hitting those air miles without setting foot on a plane.
YEAH-O-Meter?
There's something pretty sensual about being made the perfect pieces of sushi.
There's are fine art to enjoying sushi to it's fullest.
From being shown exactly how to put it in your mouth. Exactly how to hold it in your finger tips. To exactly how it should be eaten, ;]
You know when fish starts to assume the texture of butter, serious skill has been used in the sourcing and preparation. So much skill that the end result is silken, melting, dream-like pieces of orgasmic sushi just lying there waiting to be taken.
Every piece of sushi was perfect. To keep up such consistency is just mind blowing.
I almost lost myself just staring at knife skills of Chef Toru. Mesmerising.
Now, I could write an essay about each piece; but I probably couldn't give it any justice.
You just had to simply be there.
Sex Appeal?
This is THE best sushi that I've ever had. There is a reason why this place is so in demand.
My experience with Sushi Tetsu was surreal. Words simply cannot describe it.
Book yourself in Sushi Tetsu, and you'll never look at sushi the same way again.
Yummei's?
10/10 Yummei's
10/10! The Best Sushi restaurant in London.. By chance I went Sushi Tetsu last night which my husband wanted to go there since they opened . They only have 7seats at counter table ! so It needs to book before hand to enjoy all the great sushi.
I could say Sushi Tetsu is the Best sushi restaurant in London! I felt the restaurant is very spiritual place like a temple or shrine. It's very pure place. So enjoyable to eat sushi at quite space. Very special!!! Try there once, You will know what I am talking about. Super hightly recommend!
When I finally got round to looking it up, it turned out that it was almost impossible to get into. It has 7 seats only and opens for booking only 2 days a month, when you apparently have to be very, very stubborn and keep redialing until you get through. Or? Or, you can try to keep an eye on cancellations on Twitter and have the number on speed dial. Which is what I did and was lucky enough to pick up a single place for a Friday evening. They ask you to pre-book if you want the Omakase, which is basically a tasting menu with special sashimi, more fish sashimi, nigiri, a hand roll and a desert of a sweet omelette. That’s what I chose, so when I got settled in my place all I had to choose was the sake.
This is a gem in London sushi scene that I have been longing to visit for a while. The problem is to secure a booking. With only 7 seats and close to perfection sushi (assuming that perfection exists somewhere) it is almost certain that you need to wait another month if you miss to book on the first day of the month. It might get even more difficult now when they have changed to 1 month advance booking from 2 months they had before. Sushi Tetsu is located in an unassuming alley in Clerkenwell shared by The Zetter Townhouse and The Modern Pantry. When I saw the dark front door cloth with two Japanese characters memories from past sushi experiences in Japan flashed through my mind. I was thinking zen-like music, well orchestrated welcoming greetings and intimidating atmosphere. However these images were shattered as soon as I stepped into the restaurant. The restaurant was run by 3 people that night, 2 front of house and 1 chef (Toru Takahashi) creating an intimate and relaxed atmosphere
Sushi Tetsu is the most amazing and homely and sweet sushi place in London, and I really want to work hard and earn loads of money just so I can afford to go there more. Sushi Tetsu has been named one of the best new restaurants in London by the Hardens guide and received recognition from various other food critics and it is located in Clarkenwell on a small alley way and run by a husband and wife, Harumi and Toru Takahashi. The husband is the sushi chef and the wife does everything else from welcoming you, to taking your order and to washing the dishes. The place only seats 7 people, as the sushi chef physically cant make more sushi for more people, so it is extremely cozy in the room as you sit by the sushi counter and watch the husband make sushi. We had a 6.15 booking an we arrived at 6, and as we had to go to a party afterwards we asked the wi
The restaurant can be found in a little, unassuming Clerkenwell alley. Takahashi previously worked as a sushi chef at Nobu for seven years. Happily, this is a far cry from Nobu: minimalist...
Sushi Tetsu gave me the best sushi experience I've ever had in the UK, watching Toru working his magic behind the counter is like being in a theatre, everything was beautifully crafted with great attention to detail. Service was also top class, lead by the warm and charming front of house Harumi. Sushi Tetsu is right at the top when it comes to Japanese food in the UK, I wouldn't be surprised if they pick up a Michelin star this coming September.
Watching Chef Toru work tirelessly throughout the 2.5 hours we were there was incredible. The precision and detailed beauty in everything he serves up was a real pleasure to experience. It was the freshest, best sushi I have had since Tsukiji fish market in Japan.
This sheer attention to detail and outright love of his craft and customers is what separates Chef Tetsu from his peers.
I would not be surprised at all if next year they’ll be awarded a Michelin star.
Disclaimer: I’m no sushi expert, so I have no credentials to shout over the rooftop that with Sushi Tetsu I’ve found “ the best sushi in London ” or similar. I’m so not an expert it took me years of half-assed attempts (including a disappointing evening at Nobu in Milan ) to tell maki from nigiri and to assess my final preference for (good) sashimi. Moreover, I cannot even say I did actually “find” Sushi Tetsu, as I was pointed there by the great reviews by friend Mulia and by the always reliable Andy Hailer. Opened in July 2012, this very little (7-seats) place in Clerkenwell is definitely well on the radar in foodies ‘circles. So, my claims in regard to Tetsu sushi are limited to: “I went there yesterday, and it was the best sushi I’ve ever had” . Others with a better knowledge of sushi- making will describe why and how and give you all the details (check out Gourmet Traveller for a very thorough and expert review). For me, it was such a magical experience I don’t even want to know
Sushi Tetsu is one of those rare places that reminds you why you go out to eat. This welcoming seven seater in Clerkenwell, run by an amiable husband and wife team, serves unpretentious, high quality sushi and sashimi to an appreciative audience. As you step behind the noren, hiding prying eyes from the street, you emerge into a cosy bar much like what you would find on the back streets of Japan. When I visited, the atmosphere was buzzing with happy punters, with the bubbles of conversation occasionally popping to be replaced with a soft groan of happiness or an appreciative nod to the chef, acknowledging a wonderful shared experience. It's the best sushi experience you'll find in London.
...what you get is a combination of very high quality fish, perfectly cooked sushi rice, and lots of care from the chef.
4 weeks old and Sushi Tetsu already marks an authentic sushi trip to Japan. Perhaps the closest thing you’ll find to how Japanese people eat sushi in Japan, here, sushi are eaten with fingers than chopsticks.
Now what's quite special about Sushi Tetsu is that its not the first time I have tried to seek out the clean refreshing flavours of "proper sushi" in London. I have travelled the lengths of the Piccadilly line in search of sushi - out to Ealing to Kiraku, one of the best in London according to Japanese friends. But, while it was great, it didn't hit me like Sushi Tetsu. In Kiraku I was in a very nice Japanese restaurant in Ealing, stepping through the curtain into the tiny seven seat sushi bar at Sushi Tetsu, I was in Kobe.
I think this is it. The Best Sushi of London. I can’t think why not. I am running through all the good sushi bars I have been to in this city... Yashin? Tetsu is in a different league in terms of authenticity and skills. Shiori? Not in the raw fish department though the overall dining experience is not too far behind.
And I get it now. I understand Kian’s odd death threat. Deep down I’m hoping you won’t believe how crazily stunning the food is here, yet it’s too good not to share - almost sinful. Oh, by the way, Harumi said Tetsu is booked up for dinner until Christmas. Lunch is looking more hopeful, but solo diners are more likely to get lucky.
But, from my experience, this intimate sushi bar, owned and run by the team of husband chef and wife front of house, will very soon become the tour de force of Japanese restaurants in London.
I could save you some time and just say that if you're after the best sushi experience in London then go to Sushi Tetsu and be done with it. But where would be the fun in that? This tiny restaurant in an obscure Clerkenwell alleyway is serving up some of the most authentic sushi I've had outside of Japan. If you love the precision, theatre and ritual of authentic Japanese sushi then a pilgrimage to Sushi Tetsu is a must.
Sushi Testu opened in June 2012, headed by Toru Takahashi, who previously worked for seven years at Nobu. Toru was brought up near Sendai but moved to Kobe to go to college (where he studied British History) before training as a sushi chef. He came to England in 2000. The sushi bar is very much of the style that you see in Japan, with a simple wood counter, and just seven seats in total, allowing the full attention of the chef.
I have eaten fancier sushi but I don’t recall encountering sushi of such outstanding quality anywhere outside of Japan. In fact I’m not even sure I had such good sushi in Japan to be honest. The fish is the star and it truly IS the star. One exceptional dish followed another.
Most people have heard of it but not many have been as it's impossible to get a reservation. Be sure to watch their tweets as that's where they announce cancellations. And I'm sure you've all heard good things, I had, and I had to find out what all the fuss was about.
All the fish just melted in your mouth. The rice was deliciously seasoned and clinging together but not too much. Watching the chef at work was like watching an artist, and not only that, the guy's friendly. He chats to you, asks about you and it was for me altogether an amazing dining experience.
Fantastic restaurant and experience! Omakase is the way to go... let Toru take care of the food and you can relax and enjoy the experience.
![Zomato]( "Recensione")
The meal today started with cured turbot wrapped around monkfish liver; this worked well, the liver flavor subtle, the texture of the turbot excellent. Then came a pretty sashimi plate made up of yellowtail, salmon, sweet shrimp, akami tuna, chu-toro tuna, snow crab, squid and razor clam; these were all in lovely condition, the razor clam and squi without even a hint of chewiness.
This was followed by a sequence of sushi. Mackerel was seared before being placed on the rice (the chef uses two different Californian and one Italian rice). Next was sushi of sea bream, sushi of scallop and then yellowtail. This was followed by sushi of tuna that been marinated in soy, then seared jumbo shrimp, then a sushi version of the turbot with monkfish liver pate. The final sushi was lovely seared o-toro tuna topped with a little citrus pepper. After this was mackerel roll and then a nori roll of fatty tuna with seaweed, rice and pickled radish. I could not resist a final eel sushi before the traditional tomago (layers of sweet cooked egg) to finish. The fish was in fine condition today, the wasabi proper Japanese wasabi root that had been grated, and the pickled ginger excellent.
The bill came to £109 a head with beer to drink; the chef is very engaging and friendly, knowing when to chat and when to leave his customers alone. Sushi Tetsu is simply the best sushi in London.
![Zomato]( "Recensione")
This is a gem in London sushi scene that I have been longing to visit for a while. The problem is to secure a booking. With only 7 seats and close to perfection sushi (assuming that perfection exists somewhere) it is almost certain that you need to wait another month if you miss to book on the first day of the month. It might get even more difficult now when they have changed to 1 month advance booking from 2 months they had before.
Sushi Tetsu is located in an unassuming alley in Clerkenwell shared by The Zetter Townhouse and The Modern Pantry. When I saw the dark front door cloth with two Japanese characters memories from past sushi experiences in Japan flashed through my mind. I was thinking zen-like music, well orchestrated welcoming greetings and intimidating atmosphere. However these images were shattered as soon as I stepped into the restaurant. The restaurant was run by 3 people that night, 2 front of house and 1 chef (Toru Takahashi) creating an intimate and relaxed atmosphere. Old classics were streaming in the background. I was shown to my seat by a friendly woman who is also the wife of Toru. She is running front of house helping guests to choose sake and explaining how to eat sushi the right way. The intimacy of sitting in front of the chef creates a whole different ambiance compared to sharing a dining room with 150 people with the accompanying noise in one of the more fashionable sushi joints in London. It was a delight to watch Toru’s attention to details in action, from slicing the fish to applying seasoning drop by drop. It was a performance but without the flash, just the essentials.
I had the big omakase which meant that the chef chooses what to serve you depending on what produce he find good that day.
I had a glass of Gokujyou Yoshinogawa sake with the meal. Knowing very little about sake all I can say is that it had a good balance and went well with the food. After only talking about the food I feel the need to shed some light over the service. It’s not as well choreographed as in Michelin star temples but then Sushi Tetsu wins on personal touch. Since there were only 7 guests it was easier to have a casual conversation with the staff and the people next to you. Overall I can’t say anything negative about the meal. In fact Sushi Tetsu exceeded expectations. This is pure sushi, pure joy. If you want something else, there are other places.
For full review and photos: http://driftingepicure.com/2013/05/03/sushi-tetsu/
Authentic omakase sushi joint run by a Japanese couple. The six-seat joint is tiny but very cozy and intimate once you are seated. The ingredients are fresh, well flavored and without overly fancy and pretentious details and toppings. The counter seats give you visibility to the chef’s craft and the hospitality was lovely. They also have s good selection of sake. The phone reservation was a pain and it took me half an hour of endless dialing to get through. Expect around 350 euros for two.
Had been trying to get a table here for the past 3 months - by obsessively checking the website every Monday 12pm (slots book out in 1-2min). Very expensive, but without a doubt the absolute best sushi / sushi experience I have had in my life. The sake pairing was definitely worth it as well.
A magical dinner experience! Fresh, delightful food made at the table by the chef accompanied by the friendliest chat with him and his wife - it was a real joy to be at Sushi Tetsu. So lucky to have gotten a place at the table!
Hands down one of the best omakase in London! With a price tag of £157, it is definitely worth it given the number of sushi and sashimi served. Will definitely go visit again.
perfection (you’re not allowed to take any photos and they mind if you do…)
Amazing experience.
Very difficult to get a reservation but it is the best sushi I have ever tasted
The restaurant is very small, with only 7 seats, the staff are very friendly and will talk and explain things to you during the meal.
All the dishes are delicious and you get to watch it being made in front of you.
The sushi is truly the best.
Looking forward to the next time!
To see someone practice his craft with such joy and accuracy it’s something that I don’t get to see much and it is such an pleasure to witness it. The tools he uses, the techniques, the preparation of things, the connection he had when preparing connected to the music he chose to have in the background, everything was just so on point, felt so authentic and like every detail was thought and cared for
Thank you Toru and Harumi for having us and making this experience so unique
Hands down the best sushi and omakase experience you can get in the whole of the UK. The quality of ingredients is second to none, and the atmosphere is so intimate and friendly you get to know everyone at the bar. Staff are attentive and the owners promote conversation and really get to know you and everyone else. In between each plate you spend time talking and watching Toru do what he does best. If you can manage to book, this is something you don’t want to miss. I will definitely be coming back, and hopefully become a regular!
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