Fire in the Belly

It's not every day that a place is so good I feel compelled to write about it on the way home - but that's a testament to how Cocoro, a quirky Japanese dive a short walk from Tottenham Court Road station, wowed me.Inside, it's small but spacious enough. The decor is simple but effective. 

The food though. Oh. The food. 

I ordered a piece each of salmon and tuna nigiri, a chicken katsu curry and a pot of green tea. I began with the sushi. My first impression was that it had been served a little warmer than I'd have liked. It looked good but that can be deceptive. I was wary but that went out of the window with the first bite; the texture and flavour for both were pretty fantastic; really melt-in-the-mouth stuff with all the rich complexity that oily fish should have.

 

So delicious I almost ate the glass plate too

Yum.

I've had my share of mediocre katsu curries in England. I often resort to cooking my own since the quality I seek just isn't easily available.This though, was magnificent. It steamed with the heat of a thousand suns. I mean, it was still steaming at the end of my meal. Then there's the other kind of heat; the kind that builds up cumulatively with each mouthful of Japanese curry. The combination was potent. By the end of my bowl I had broken out into a sweat and my body had forgotten all about winter. Instead, I seemed to have acquired a furnace inside. To call the curry robust would be diplomatic in truly understated, Japanese style.
 

Not shown: volcanic vents of steam

 The chicken katsu was hot and fresh, not dry like some others I've had. Crispy on the outside, juicy and tender on the inside, the way it should be. An unusually smooth surface for katsu but it was so good I barely missed the textured rivets that breadcrumbs usually make.
 
The vegetables in the curry had been cooked separately and added later. The sauce is cooked beforehand, and this keeps the veg from getting soggy. I enquired, and curry cubes are used but the chef adds his own spices to it so the result tastes unique. It's the best katsu curry I've had in London and I have no hesitation in recommending it wholeheartedly. Go there now and invite me while you're at it - I want to go back!


Afternote: Cocoro has another branch on Marylebone Lane which I have also visited. The one reviewed here specialises in Ramen and Curry and has a cafe-diner feel, whereas the one on Marylebone has more of a traditional Japanese restaurant vibe, with tatami. The menu there, whilst excellent, is different to this branch and generally dearer.