Where? The slightly odd bottle-green parade with ‘Eat – Drink – Relax’ on its frontage, a hangover from a previous incarnation as character-free coffee shop Kookoo. Oh, and long-term locals will remember the venue’s original guise, Peachy Keen, an ahead-of-its-time cocktail bar that opened (and closed) about a decade ago.
What? We’ve tried a few things on the menu, but it’s Sushi Set 2 (£10) that we recommend at this budget: six pieces of nigiri – a rainbow display of raw mackerel, squid, scallop, salmon and tuna – with half a dozen spicy tuna rolls to lend a bit of bulk.
Why? It’s high quality sushi, well-priced, with swift service. Did you know that there’s a spacious (almost hidden) basement restaurant too? The exterior is actually too easy to walk past, especially with tempting delights like Arancini, Anima e Cuore and Bintang on the other side of the road.
Don’t: forget there’s also a daily lunch special, which comes in at an even cheaper £7: on our visit it was two pieces of nigiri (mackerel and salmon) with a dozen maki rolls, half salmon and half avocado.
Notes: For more local sushi, or perhaps a quick pre-Forum fishy feed, try the equally impressive Kami (reviewed here), just up past Kentish Town tube.
Aisuru, 112 Kentish Town Road NW1. Open daily until 10pm. More info here