Seemingly a world away, yet only a stone’s throw over the water from the Houses of Parliament, sits Ozu. Located in the stunning surroundings of the County Hall building on the South Bank, Ozu offers superb views to admire whilst enjoying delicious Izakaya style Japanese cuisine.
When we arrived, it was fairly quiet (but we were unfashionably early), and though the dark, wooden decor of the restaurant was at first a little overbearing, it soon seemed fitting and the blue lighting created a relaxed feel. We were greeted instantly and politely shown to our table and talked through the extensive menu – and I mean extensive.
To start, as though it were a real Izakaya, we had Edamame – Japanese soy beans sprinkled with salt, followed by Yaki Hotate – pan grilled scallops with spicy butter BBQ sauce, a truly tasty combination.
Being that this is a Blue Tomato review, it will come as no surprise to you that we ordered BIG – and it came thick and fast. Deep breath.
The Ebi Gyoza (handmade dumplings filled with prawns and vegetables) were moist, and nicely filled to bursting point. The Okonomiyaki (quite a mouthful, and a good one at that) – a fried Korean style pancake with mixed seafood and spring onion, was proof that Ozu really do stick to the Japanese tradition of only using the freshest of foods.
We also ordered the Ebi Chilli Salad because, well, sometimes you feel like you should order a salad, and were pleasantly surprised. The crispy coated chilli prawns were drizzled in a mouth-watering spicy lemon dressing, offering an unexpected amount of flavour.
Feeling good about ourselves for ordering a salad, we also chose the Temaki set – salmon, tuna, California and vegetarian hand rolls, as well as Tebasa – chicken wings. We had a breather, and a drink, and then moved onto Kamo steak - grilled duke breast steak with sanshyo pepper & balsamic teriyaki sauce and Salmon teriyaki - grilled salmon steak with teriyaki sauce. Both dishes were cooked well and the teriyaki sauce was a great accompaniment.
Throughout our meal we were constantly attended to, and even as the restaurant began to fill, we were not forgotten. Impossible, though we may have once thought it was, to find a Japanese restaurant that is chic yet casual, modern yet traditional, and affordable yet in a prime location, I think BT found it that night in Ozu. It is quite the hidden gem.
Date posted: 09/02/2012
