Reviews Itadaki Zen

I’m an omnivore that quite likes going to vegetarian-specific places, as despite drawing from a more constrained set of ingredients, they often produce more creative and interesting dishes as a result. Well, either that or you get a bunch of average dishes with rubbery tofu on everything. When I heard that London had a place that claimed to be not only vegan (ooh), but also organic (yay) AND Japanese (omg!), I knew I had to try it.

So I'm torn about Itadaki Zen; yes, I would go again, however it's a very unique experience and one not necessarily everyone will enjoy.

I'm vegan and I went with my omnivore partner. We had a reservation for when they opened for evening service and this went smoothly and fine. He ordered a Samuel Smith organic lager and I an orange juice, also organic, with tap water for the table. The restaurant is quiet with few staff, which for me is fine - service was efficient with little small talk if any. I am of the opinion you don't pay to chat with the staff, you pay to eat, and as long as staff aren't outwardly rude I don't care if we speak that much or not. So service was fine by my standards.

As we'd not been before we ordered the Itadaki set course menu, which is £21 each. The first course was 3 vegetable dishes: cold fried tofu with a pak choi leaf in a savoury dressing, a type of soya bean meal with vegetables, also cold, and a seaweed and cucumber salad in a sesame dressing. All of these were meant to be cold, and our favourite was probably the salad, followed by the tofu. The bean meal was perfectly nice, but extremely filling, so the portion given of that could have been halved and would have gone down better.

Itadaki Zen speaks of their food having digestive benefits and the first course definitely gave that impression through its use of unusual and interesting ingredients. The bean meal is what is left over from soya milk production - think of it as the fibre which is insoluble. If you suffer from digestive issues this would certainly help get you moving!

The next course was sushi, all plant-based. The stand outs for me were a mushroom hosomaki and asparagus nigiri, both had much more flavour than first thought and the rice used in the sushi was just lovely. This was probably my favourite course.

After this came a hot course with fried foods. Itadaki Zen generally accompany their fried foods with supplementary sides, to enable the body to properly digest something comparitively higher in fat than their other offerings. Our sides were a light but tasty dipping sauce, a dressed side salad and cold udon noodles which could also be dipped in the sauce. The choice for fried options were a vegetable tempura-style fritter or spring rolls - my partner ordered the former and I the latter so we could try both.

Of the two the tempura (kakiage?) was the better option. This was light and tasty with a good crunch, but not heavy. The spring rolls contained more of the bean meal which made them very filling but a little heavier than I'd like out of something already fried, and by virtue heavier. I would definitely order the kakiage again as it was wonderful. The udon noodles were a nice textural contrast here too.

Finally there was dessert. The options included everything currently on their dessert menu, plus a lemon tofu cheesecake my partner chose. I went for the mixed summer fruits jelly. Both of these were lovely though the cheesecake possibly had too much lemon zest. The jelly was lovely and cold with a delicate flavour and frozen berries and fruit throughout.

So, overall for me Itadaki Zen was a great meal. I would say the pricing is high but they do also only use organic produce by and large, and the skill demonstrated in the food is high. I have never had a meal like it and it must be noted I had no digestive problems whatsoever afterwards, despite eating A LOT of food. Our only complaint was that there was no real explanation of the food as it arrived which was a bit confusing when it came to eating the fried food with or without chopsticks. We went for without as the spring rolls and kakiage are too big and unwieldy to manage with chopsticks.

However service was so quick - they always had the next course ready when we finished one - and the textures and flavours at play in the food were so interesting and varied that I would definitely go again. The set menu offers a chance to try a bit of everything the restaurant offers and I think next time I would pick and choose more carefully, and no doubt would probably rate it higher.

However for vegan sushi? Pretty great. Fulfilling, delicate and not at all rabbit food-y. Check it out for a special occasion, and they do a 10% student discount and some great lunch deals.

You might remember that I was in Cardiff towards the end of November. At some point, after the Australia-Wales Rugby Match, we ended up in a random Malaysian restaurant. (Never wrote about it, sorry!) I was with Craig and his wife Leanne. Craig leaves to

Nice vegan Japanese restaurant in Kings Cross. Food is nice but small portions (mains). I liked the flavour of the curry and aubergine but found the ramen a little salty. The mains are reasonably priced but the starters are on the pricer side. Service is good, friendly staff. Found the restaurant a bit hot/stuffy and loud but still a nice atmosphere.

Lovely little place serving vegan / vegetarian Japanese food. We enjoyed it here. Only gave it 4 stars as the portions are small and it’s fairly pricey. I think if you go for the ramen options it’s better value.

Nicely decorated restaurant that’s small and cosy, limited tables so it doesn’t feel crowded. You definitely need to book ahead if dining at the weekend. Dishes were well presented and full of flavour. Highly recommend the miso aubergine and creamy Tonkotsu. Plates are small so you need to order around 5-7 for two people to share. Slightly on the pricier side, but typical for London. Dessert menu could be slightly more extensive as currently only mochi balls available (hence the 4 stars) Staff were friendly and attentive. The sour plum and yuzu drinks were good! Would recommend and return.

The spring rolls are absolutely to die for. A must have. Possibly the best pastry I've had. The gyozas were a little plain for my taste, but the dipping sauce was nice. I had the chilli creamy ramen and it nice. The broth lacked a bit of depth for me. The noodle texture was great and I loved the mixed veg on top. I would go back! I liked this all vegan place. I went for the lunch menu, I'd like to go back for the dinner menu. The staff are friendly and the atmosphere is lovely.

An AMAZING vegan meal!!! Inventive and most of all delicious!! There was a warm and cozy atmosphere, and the staff was incredibly kind and patient with our every request. I can't recommend this sweet and authentic place enough! Bonus tip - order the mochi. Trust me. Thank you Itadaki Zen for showing us a wonderful time 😁

Some of the best ramen I’ve ever had, inclusive of tonkatsu ramen made with real pork. I’ve been vegan for just over a year now and having lived in Seoul previously, I really missed a hot steaming bowl of tonkatsu ramen and this place well and truly delivered!! No wonder it was so packed when I went (Tues evening). Can’t wait to come back here next time I’m in London.

What a wonderful little hidden gems the food is to die it all vegetarian/vegan and the mochi are so good there isn't a picture of them because I scoffed them 🤤🤤🤤🤤

Best vegan japanese restaurant! The place is a bit small and can be really loud but the food is so great that you don't think about it. All the dishes that we tried were incredible, tasty and light, really well balanced. I'll definitely come back!

A place to die for. I’ve been vegan for 6 years and I’ve never had such a tasteful meal. I’m very glad to have chosen this place for my birthday meal. Now I’ll come back every time I visit London. Amazing food, amazing service (cutest waitresses ever!) and amazing interior design. We loved it! Thank you and thank you!