Foodle

An ‘interesting’ evening spent at 6 seater omakase counter Juno, located in a back room of the very busy Los Mochis Mexican/Japanese fusion bar restaurant in Notting Hill. Once you’ve fought your way through the throngs of pissed up Notting-bots throwing tuna tataki tacos into their faces, washed down with a few saki-ritas, you enter a tiny back room of nirvana levels of zen calm compared to what you’ve just experienced. All is well with the world once again.
Enough snidery from me. I respect what exec chef (I think he is simultaneously overseeing the opening of a behemoth restaurant near Liverpool Street) Leonard Tanyag is trying to do. But it is stomach churning to watch a clearly very talented chef trying to explain to five of the Chelsea set that it’s best to eat the nigiri as one piece rather than munching it in half and placing the uneaten half back on the serving plate. Four of my five communal dining companions near fainted when presented with sea urchin and other dishes seasoned with powdered ants.
This seems an extreme example of what I have encountered at a few top tier counters in London. The Araki, Roketsu and Endo are all serious places but when I have been they all struggle with trying to educate a lot of the diners on general etiquette or just the basics of how to eat sushi. It must be incredibly frustrating for the chefs.
I’m not sure what the solution is other than either make your counter so incredibly difficult to find or book like Sushi Tetsu or just to jack your prices up to the point that you are the most expensive restaurant in the UK so as to ward off the novices (Sushi Kanesaka £420 before you’ve even had a sip of water or thought about the tip).
Having said all that, Juno isn’t great (if you’ve been to Japan), there is a lot of gimmickry and I doubt you’d ever see anyone in Tokyo mercilessly attacking their nigiri with a blow torch, but it is certainly ok. So Tanyag San is stuck in this purgatory between customers that come to dine and really don’t appreciate what he tries to do and are disgusted by some of it and his dream knowledgable customers who wouldn’t be seen dead here. Tough gig. Less

Turbot & Sunflower, crosnes
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BBQ duck
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Lamb & Green Sauce, tasty paste
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Apple, Celeriac & Hazelnut
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Black Koji, Miso, Milk
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I was very happy to have finally gotten around to visiting @restaurantstbarts back in 2024 (I’ve since revisited twice more), next to London’s Smithfield market. I had visited their first restaurant Nest in Hackney which is tiny and I loved their philosophy there of just using one animal that was appropriate to the season on the menu at a time. I had wandered what they could achieve if blessed with a larger space and boy this is certainly that.
“Taking diners on a journey through the British Isles, Johnnie and his team serve a tasting menu that champions the very best small-scale farmers, growers, & conservationists this country has to offer.”
This meal had strong Pine vibes so it did not surprise me to hear that Cal, Ian and the @restaurantpine team have since done a collaborative dinner here which I was sad to have missed. From what I hear it was a love match made in heaven.
Highly recommended.
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Michelin Guide -⭐️🍀
La Liste -
W50B -
Best Chef Awards -
OAD - 420
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#achefabroad #itravelforfood #foodie #foodporn #foodpic #achefabroad #itravelforfood #foodtours #foodies #foodporn #foodpic #foodpics #finedining #michelindining #eats #instafoodie #michelinstar #worlds50bestrestaurants #worlds50best #eater #michelinguide Less

Tuna , PAK CHOI, BLACK GARLIC AND ANCHOVY SAUCE
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RAVIOLINI FILLED WITH WILD GARLIC, FAVA BEAN, GUANCIALE AND PECORINO
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FREE RANGE CHICKEN FROM THE VALLEY, MOREL
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CHEESE
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AMUSE BOUCHE
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WHITE CHOCOLATE PANNA COTTA, WILD STRAWBERRIES, HIBISCUS JUICE, PINK PEPPER ICE-CREAM
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MADELEINE AND LEMON CREAM CREMINO WITH CORN AND GIANDUJA ORANGE BLOSSOM FLOWER MALLOW PROVENZAL HERBS BISCUIT, FRESH CHEESE FROM TENDA, PASSION FRUIT
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Another visit to the excellent Casa Buono, near Ventimiglia. What was once a more rustic affair from the former Mirazur couple has now morphed into a restaurant with clear and focused ambition for yet more accolades. I am certain they will come.
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Michelin Guide -⭐️
La Liste -
W50B -
Best Chef Awards -
OAD - 337
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#achefabroad #itravelforfood #foodie #foodporn #foodpic #achefabroad #itravelforfood #foodtours #foodies #foodporn #foodpic #foodpics #finedining #michelindining #eats #instafoodie #michelinstar #worlds50bestrestaurants #worlds50best #eater #michelinguide Less

«Perla del Delta» Oyster, artichoke and caramel
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A lovely lunch at @versoristorante Verso on the Piazza del Duomo in Milan. This restaurant earned two Michelin stars straight out of the gate. Well deserved.
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Michelin Guide -⭐️⭐️
La Liste - 87.00
W50B -
Best Chef Awards -
OAD - 422
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#achefabroad #itravelforfood #foodie #foodporn #foodpic #achefabroad #itravelforfood #foodtours #foodies #foodporn #foodpic #foodpics #finedining #michelindining #eats #instafoodie #michelinstar #worlds50bestrestaurants #worlds50best #eater #michelinguide Less

白醤油ラーメン / Shiro Shoyu Ramen / Tonjinchi — Himi, Toyama

Clear soup is made from local Himi ingredients like dried sardines and beef bones, combined with domestic chicken carcasses, pork and Rishiri kombu. White (shiro) soy sauce goes into the tare. Noodles are by Kanno Seimen. Topped with pork belly chashu, bamboo shoots, chopped onions and negi. Also pictured is the recommended Himi-san Niboshi Ramen.

Master Toshihiro Benide-san created the menu after eating ramen all over Japan. He offers a ramen menu during lunch hours only, at night the shop turns into an izakaya and wine bar. The kanji characters in the name Tonjinchi (貪瞋癡) represent three kleshas (mental states) that must be conquered in Buddhism. 18 seats. Open since 2007. Less

黒醤油ラーメン / Kuro Shoyu Ramen / Ramen Jigen — Takaoka, Toyama

Toyama Black ramen is built around a mellow soup made from a special shoyu tare, combining burnt soy sauce and liquid from stewing pork chashu with seafood dashi. High-hydration curly noodles are specially made with Menmusou wheat flour. Topped with pork chashu, bamboo shoots and negi. Finished with black pepper. Miso Ramen is also popular, Tororo Kombu Onigiri (rice ball) on the side.

Toyama Black ramen was originally created shortly after WWII as a side dish for manual laborers to go alongside white rice. The genre is now considered an important part of Toyama food culture and known across Japan. Ramen Jigen president Toshihiko Nagatoku-san didn’t like the fact that many people who visit Toyama eat the local ramen without knowing the history, many of them go home with the impression that it is just salty. So he decided to create a new version of Toyama Black that respects tradition but tastes good for everyone. The recipes at Jigen were built from scratch over a three year period before the restaurant finally opened. 22 seats. Since April 1st, 2004 @zigen_jigen Less

特製塩ラーメン + 特製醤油ラーメン / Tokusei Shio Ramen + Tokusei Shoyu Ramen / Ramen Hisui — Akasaka, Tokyo

Shio ramen uses a soup containing more than ten sea ingredients including flounder and various fish bones. The tare is made from four types of sea salt and apple cider vinegar. Shoyu soup contains brand chickens and a tare made from six kinds of kioke (wooden barrel) soy sauce, combined with balsamic vinegar and sweet syrup extracted from dates. Flavor oils include lard, chicken oil, negi and garlic. Thin straight noodles are house-made using domestic wheat and whole wheat flour. No msg or artificial additives. Various premium toppings feature rare pork loin chashu, roasted chicken chashu, rare chicken breast chashu, duck chashu, seared scallops, ajitama, dried tomatoes, maitake mushrooms (grilled to order), negi and turnips.

Master Ryo Watanabe-san has loved cooking since he was a child and has over 20 years experience in the food industry. He previously worked at a fine dining restaurant in Ebisu specializing in California cuisine, but he always knew he wanted to open his own ramen shop. He basically taught himself how to make soup and noodles. While not fully recognized as an apprentice, he worked part time for two and a half years at Ramen Break Beats, Ramen Afro Beats and Ramen Jazzy Beats before going independent. The shop name Hisui is another word for the kingfisher bird. Only open for lunch, 11:30am-3pm. Nine seats. Since February 8th, 2025 @ramen_hisui Less

味玉中華そば MIX チャーシュー / Ajitama Chūka Soba Mix Chashu / Menya Mikan — Nakameguro, Tokyo

Clear soup is made from dried sardines, mackerel and katsuobushi; a recipe created through trial and error. Medium-width straight noodles are housemade. Shoyu tare uses a blend of three varieties of sauce sauce and chashu tare. Two types of pork chashu feature charcoal-grilled and rolled belly which is simmered for three hours. Also topped with ajitama, bamboo shoots, greens, negi, nori and naruto.

Owner Ichiya-san is friends with the master of Marue Chūka Soba in Sugamo. While he was training there he met Yoshitaka Yamamoto-san, who previously worked at AFURI in Shibuya. The two became close and Yamamoto-san now manages this shop. 14 seats. Since April 30th, 2024. Less

特製焼あごらーめん / Tokusei Yaki Ago Ramen / Menya Nanigashi — Komagome, Tokyo

Rich soup combines chicken/pork broth with grilled flying fish dashi. Choice of shoyu or shio tare. Thick and wavy homemade high-hydration noodles contain Mochihime wheat and are kneaded by hand before being boiled. Topped with slices of roasted pork chashu, ajitama, nori seaweed, negi and togarashi.

Master Agata-san trained at Niboshi Tsukemen Miyamoto, where he was in charge of making noodles for the Miyamoto Group. Prior to that he worked with the Ramen Nagi Group. Only open for lunch, 11am-3pm (until 4pm on weekends). Six seats. Since December 5th, 2023. Less

チャーシューワンタンメン / Chashu Wontonmen / Chūka Soba Senmonten Taishōken — Hachioji, Tokyo

Eifukucho Taishōken style ramen features a clear soup made from pork, niboshi and vegetables, finished with lard. Noodles are provided by the Taishōken affiliated Kusamura Shōten, based in Suginami. Topped with pork shoulder chashu, bamboo shoots, naruto, negi, nori and wontons.

The master trained in Eifukucho under Taishōken’s apprentice system before going independent. Located in a space previously occupied by two other ramen concepts. 15 seats. Since April 17th, 2023. Less