Engawa, Ham Yard London

It is no longer a rare occasion to see gourmets enjoy raw, delicate slices of Salmon elegantly placed on Japanese, Zen-styled plates that illustrates the beautiful traditions of Japanese food culture. The culture of devouring raw, thin slices of Fatty tuna is no longer a bizarre happening – it is now a trending food culture that spreads throughout the globe, further pushing the bars of expectations gourmets have on Japanese cuisine towards the top.

Despite Japanese dishes being world-famous, extraordinary due to its unique ingredient selections and the variety of flavor combinations, Japanese delicacies also capture the hearts of cordon bleus with the intricate food preparation processes and the mastery of Japanese cutleries. Famous sushi and sashimi menus like Sake sushi, Fatty tuna sashimi, Maki rolls, and Nigiri are delicate, subtle dishes that can also be ‘convenient’ foods in some regions.

However, most traditional dishes are to be served in Omakase restaurants or Japanese food specialty restaurants that only feature signature dishes and original menus made from fine selections of numerous ingredients. With this, Japanese food restaurants have made its way to all parts of the globe within a few years, dominating the food industry within a short period of time – introducing its fantastic, mouth-watering dishes, delicate and exotic all at the same time.

As Japanese food dominates the ‘favorite food’ charts, looking for just the right Japanese food restaurant can be a challenge, especially when one resides out of Japan. In the busy, all-year-round wet and not-so-sunny London, finding a hidden culinary gem among the crowded streets of squeezing umbrellas may not seem like a simple task.

However, a meticulously designed, yet cozy restaurant tucked away in the heart of Soho Ham Yard, London is famous for its Japanese delicacies and the aesthetics that will blow the hearts of diners and gourmets within a split second. Hidden away from the bustling roads, Engawa strikes as being among the Wagyu beef specialty restaurants in the limelight.

With mid-century styled furniture and interior, a chandelier hanging over the space, Engawa sure knows how to play with the lights and wooden furnishes. The open sushi bar dominates the dinner night with its bare, clear-view that allows the head chefs to lead the extraordinary dining experience with signature dishes served on the spot.

Plumping for the chef’s full-fledged, signature menu elaborately and delicately served on traditional, yet modern styled wooden and ceramic plates, mouth-watering, divine-tasting appetizers like soba noodles swimming in the ocean of Japanese miso broth definitely tops the list of the best appetizers ever-tasted in a Japanese food restaurant. The flavorful Fatty blue fin Tuna fish, miso jelly, and fine Wagyu beef intricately prepared and beautifully-served on gargantuan ice blocks are the highlights of the first part of the course.

The main course at Engawa features a bento box full of sashimi pieces, tempura scallions, a variety of fresh fish slices, and bits of veggies. The grilling pieces of fat, Wagyu beef from Kobe earned the spotlight, as fine-quality medium-rare pieces danced and sizzled along the rhythm of the instrumental tracks played at Engawa.

Tucked away, just in a lovely corner of Soho, London, Engawa is a must-try Japanese restaurant that uniquely serves its high-quality dishes and presents its signature menus with pride in the selection of original ingredients. The fantastic choices of appetizers and the blending flavors of raw ingredients hand-picked, fresh from sea are what truly keeps gourmets coming back repeatedly. Famous for its fine Kobe Wagyu beef, Engawa is indeed among the favorite places to hang out, have a business talk, and fine dine with your loved ones.