Say what? Say sushi!

I had a major Japanese food craving today. Not wanting to settle for the usual places around Piccadilly circus, I recalled a close friend's recommendation from a few months ago about an excellent sushi restaurant in Willesden Green, where he used to live. Although I'd forgotten the restaurant's name, a quick search on Tripadvisor singled out Sushi Say. Reading the glowing online reviews, I knew I had to try it at least once despite the distance, and promptly picked up the phone to make a reservation. My hopes for securing a last-minute table in a small restaurant on a Saturday evening weren't too high, but fortunately the lady who picked up the phone was able to offer me an early table at the beginning of the dinner service (6.30 pm), with a return time of 1.5 hours - more than enough time for a simple meal, I thought. The alternative would be to stand in a queue from 8.30 pm onwards, but I definitely wasn't going to starve myself till then!

The restaurant is located just two minutes' walk from Willesden Green tube station on the Jubilee line, and on the border between zones 2 and 3 - the furthest I have ever travelled for food within London! You don't get it much further off the beaten track than that. But who doesn't like a bit of spontaneity at times? In what felt pretty much like a working-class residential area, and on a main street filled mostly with kebab & chip shops and local food & wine stores, the presence of a famous Japanese restaurant could not be more incongruous. The character for 'say' in the restaurant's name actually means 'purity' or 'clarity' - a most fitting metaphor for good sushi, I might say - and would normally be romanised as 'sei', but 'Sushi Say' just looks and sounds so much catchier!

Arriving punctually for my reservation, I was received by the formidable Japanese matriarch whom I recognised as the same lady who took my reservation over the phone. This sushi restaurant is a typical husband-and-wife business, with the husband as sushi chef and the wife as host. A significant proportion of the wait and kitchen staff are also Japanese, which is always a good sign!

Just when I thought things couldn't get much better for a start, the matriarch told one of her workers, a young lady who was not Japanese but who had a very familiar accent, to show me to my table. Turns out she was Malaysian and also a postgrad student on part-time work. She was very warm and friendly, and we chatted a bit about her work here and also about life in London in general. When it came to taking my orders she assured me that I would get the types of fish I wanted on my premium chirashi don (see below), and appeared truly apologetic when I couldn't order some daily specials on the side as they had sold out during lunchtime. Throughout the meal, she also made sure to check that things were going fine as she collected the dishes. Unfortunately, I forgot to ask for her name so that I could credit her specifically in this post. Next time maybe!

A Japanese meal would not be complete without some good green tea; this sencha that I drank with my food was surprisingly mellow and aromatic, with very little of the astringency that comes with inferior tea leaves or overheated hard water in run-of-the-mill Japanese restaurants in London.

And now, on to the food proper. First, the starters:

Buta kakuni (豚の角煮) - braised pork belly in a sauce of dashi, mirin, soy sauce and sugar.

A classic Japanese stew, this fatty pork was tender and succulent, and its rich flavour was enhanced by an extremely tasty sauce with just the right sweet-savoury balance. A touch of mustard provided a mild spicy kick that both stimulated the palate and cut through the richness of this dish effectively. Simple but incredibly moreish, and gone before I knew it!

Nasu dengaku (なす でんがく) - roasted eggplant with a miso glaze.

I've had this traditional Kyoto dish in a couple of Japanese restaurants in London now, and this was by far the best. The problem with most of these restaurants is that they drown the eggplant under a mountain of miso paste, which makes the whole dish incredibly salty and leaves you reaching for the fire hose to quench your thirst thereafter. (In all likelihood the eggplant isn't of fantastic quality either, which explains the copious amounts of miso.)

Not at all a problem here - the miso paste was only used as a light glazing (as they do in Japan), which allowed the naturally sweet taste of the eggplant to shine through and mingle with the deep umami of its glazing. The fleshy and creamy texture of the vegetable imparted a really luxurious mouthfeel, and a sprinkling of sesame seeds completed this picture of understated indulgence with a pleasant bite and a delicate nutty aroma. This deceptively simple dish was perfectly balanced and absolutely delicious.

Now for the pièce de résistance - my main dish for the evening:

Chirashi toku (特上ちらし鮨) - fresh raw seafood on sushi rice including scallop (帆立貝), sea urchin (海胆), yellowtail (はまち), eel (鰻), salmon (鮭), octopus (蛸), sweet shrimp (甘海老), tuna belly (大トロ), sea bream (鯛), seafood sticks, sweet egg custard (玉子), pickles (漬物), simmered mushroom and vegetables (煮物).

Admiring the beautiful lacquered box...

This was a wonderful assortment of premium raw seafood on a bed of seasoned rice, including my favourites eel, sea urchin, and fatty tuna belly (otoro). Everything was fresh and full of flavour. The only reservation I had was about the sea urchin; it had a very salty flavour and somewhat runny texture instead of the sweet creaminess I was expecting, but this could be due to the nature of the waters in which it grew - don't expect everything to be imported from Japan unless you're willing to pay a 3-digit price! I remember being surprised by a similar taste at Noma in Copenhagen and being informed that this could be due to the extreme coldness of Scandinavian waters. The sea urchin was the only item I didn't completely like, though it cannot have been the restaurant's fault.

The accompaniments were surprisingly good; the pickles were not too acidic and had a very juicy crunch, while the simmered vegetables were tender and tasty, with the perfect balance of sweetness and umami in the seasoning sauce. The wasabi was freshly grated (as indicated by its fine fibrous texture) - an expensive endeavour very rare outside Japan - and had a clear but not overpowering spiciness, unlike the cheap eye-watering substitutes made of horseradish, mustard and green food colouring mixed into a paste, which I dislike with a vengeance but which unfortunately seems to be the staple spice in Japanese restaurants all over the world. The rice was slightly warm, aromatic and well seasoned, with well-defined individual grains that were both fluffy and a little sticky in texture, just like how a Japanese person would like it. On the whole, this was very impressive indeed, considering that I was in the middle of nowhere in London!

By now the sweet tooth in me was itching, and I couldn't resist asking for the dessert menu. Somewhat disappointingly, most of the items looked Westernised and/or pre-made in a factory, like what you get if you ask for dessert in a Chinese restaurant here. The one thing that did catch my eye though, and came highly recommended by many online reviewers, was the home made ice cream in a variety of Japanese flavours. I decided to go for 3 scoops - (from left to right) shiso (Japanese perilla leaf), chestnut and white sesame (with black sesame bits).

These were definitely the right choices - where else would you get such authentic flavours encapsulated in rich and creamy balls of indulgence? Except for the presence of small ice crystals in each ice cream - which, for their slight imperfection, showed that they were at least truly made in this kitchen and not uniformly processed in some random factory - they were otherwise faultless. I enjoyed every intensely-flavoured scoop made with real fresh ingredients, from nutty and aromatic sesame, to sweet and earthy chestnut, and finally my favourite, the minty and sweet-sour shiso that was so light and refreshing it almost felt like a sorbet - a great way to cleanse the palate after a sumptuous meal.

It was at this point that the matriarch came over to collect my last plate and to ask how everything went. I took the chance to chat with her and to find out more about this place. According to her they have been operating in this area for 19 years, and attract a regular clientele from all over London - no immediate plans to expand or move to a more central location. She was very pleased when I praised the quality of the fish, but got a bit evasive when asked about their origins - she would only say that her husband (the sushi chef) has 'good eyes' for quality and that he has a trusted circle of suppliers who bring in all sorts of fish and seafood, mostly from around Europe and sometimes also seasonal specialties from Japan. I suppose these are trade secrets you wouldn't want a potential competitor to know!

Sushi counter at the entrance to the restaurant.
Very small space so bookings are essential.

This had been an impromptu evening of excellent and authentic food. The prices are not exactly cheap especially for a location that's so far off the central areas - but I guess that's what you have to contend with seeking out good exotic cuisines in foreign countries! I have no doubt that a more centrally located restaurant would be charging up to twice as much for the same quality of food. Service was efficient but friendly, and I felt unrushed and well taken care of despite my rather brief visit. I know this won't be my last time here!