Nizuni go, Marylebone Lane

It could be cosy

Nizuni go markets itself as ‘Japanese sushi and sashimi’, but in fact the menu is quite a bit wider than that, with ramen, curry and the like too. It's a takeaway-focused outlet of the main Nizuni restaurant - which spans several floors  on Charlotte St. nearby. Of greatest prominence here seems to be their menu of salads, featuring gyoza and hoisin duck. This didn’t bode particularly well for traditional authenticity, but I tried to keep an open mind.

It’s more of a cafe than a restaurant in feel. The wooden theme evokes a traditional Japanese feel and cosy warmth. This theme extends to the wooden sign hanging out front. Slightly jarringly juxtaposed to all this though is the glaring soft drinks fridge residing in the corner.

I ordered a katsu curry and a couple of pieces of Salmon nigiri sushi. The curry is particularly well-priced at under £7. The sushi came to £3.60 for 2 pieces, which is fairly standard for a hole-in-the-wall type of place.

The katsu curry arrived in record time and the first impressions were good: it was well-presented in a traditional wooden rice tub and was piping hot. It came with a small side of Japanese pickles.

There were only a couple of vegetable pieces in the curry which was a little disappointing. The curry was also by far the mildest I’ve ever had, at the expense of flavour. In fairness, it is described as mild in the menu, but the level of mildness was such that it had only hints of that distinctive Japanese curry spice blend. The katsu itself was well-seasoned, possibly with garlic powder added to the meat during the breading process.

The sushi was surprisingly good considering the curry. The salmon melts in the mouth nicely with an almost buttery texture. It was a little too warm though and the fish, in its softness, lacked a little body. It didn’t feel like biting into much.

The fish is good, but the block as a whole is top-heavy

Never devour the green wasabi mountain whole - it's extremely potent.

The rice held together well but the proportions were off. It may seem great to get a whacking great piece of fish on top but in actual fact, it made the nigiri difficult to handle with chopsticks while keeping it in once piece. The fish was prone to slipping off or engulfing the rice at the sides. Service was attentive throughout despite the cafe feel of the place.




All in all there was enough there to make me interested in trying the salads. It offers decent sushi on a budget - of far better quality than anything you might get at say, Itsu. I’d give the curry a miss though. There’s far better to be had for a few pounds more, with heartier servings too. The exception perhaps would be if you took away - the menu is slightly cheaper in that case.

You can find Nizuni go at 39 Marylebone Lane, W1U 2NP. the closest Tube stations are Bond St. and Oxford Circus.

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