Review: Wani Tzuki, Covent Garden
Review: Wani Tzuki, Covent Garden
By Helen Down
Image credit: Emma Pharaoh
Wani Tzuki is the new Covent Garden restaurant specializing in izakaya (AKA Japanese tapas). Opened since the end of September and tucked away on the edge of theatreland, it’s still quiet. But with food this sensational, it may not stay this way.
As with any authentically Japanese meal, we started with miso soup. Yawn. Boring. Move on. Or so I thought. For many, miso is merely a source of gut-friendly bacteria. But this miso was… wow. Such deep flavour. On a cold winter’s evening, it was hard not to guzzle the whole lot in one go.
This set the bar for what was to come: salmon tataki in ponzu and ginger – delicately carved, with tiny blobs of roe, chilli slices and dainty basil leaves. A maki roll selection of yellow fin tuna, salmon and prawn was some of the freshest I’ve ever tasted. Then a salad of spinach and avo. Again, boring. Again, I was wrong-footed. With shitake ‘crisps’, spicy coated tofu and umami sesame dressing, it was astonishingly delicious. The diners behind us were also cooing in delight. Perhaps they’d been lucky enough to order the salad too.
(Scroll to keep reading)
In true small plate style, the dishes kept coming. Next up: Japanese fish & chips, like the local chippie had gotten a tempura and monk fish makeover. And the chips were unforgettable – precision oblongs of silky mash coated and deep-fried like tofu. Yum. The mushroom donabe was a contrasting riot of colours, earthy and sharp flavours, soft and crunchy textures. The baby chicken in peanut sauce was so tender it fell off the bone like a lamb shank. Then arrived a generous slab of miso caramelised salmon. Butter soft and flaky, it was cooked to perfection, although its yuzu daikon sauce was too intense for me. Pudding kept the standard high with a mango yuzu-infused take on Eaton mess, plus a selection of sesame, coconut and matcha mochi ice creams.
With food this sophisticated, you’d be forgiven for expecting pretension. Far from it, though. The vibe was as relaxed as our smiley waitress. As was the eclectic music and decor: Oriental colonial meets 1920s prohibition. Perhaps this explains why a steady stream of hip young things kept snaking their way through the restaurant on their way to the Alligator Bar upstairs. We didn’t have time to visit, unfortunately. But if the bar is as good as the restaurant, it deserves to be mobbed.
