For a while, the search for sushi on Kentish Town Road would take you to one place: Kami. That changed a little over a year ago when Kiki quietly opened just 150 metres south.
From the outside, it’s an unassuming restaurant with monochrome signage, easy to miss next to the hubbub surrounding local favourite Kossoff’s two doors down.
Nevertheless, it was clear the place was slowly gathering momentum after it went viral on Japanese Instagram. An influencer had set out his stall, saying Kiki has the best Japanese food in London. And this was a bold claim surely worth investigating.
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The decor has evolved since opening, with grey walls and mirrors supplemented by specials scrawled across chalk boards, elegant pottery and Japanese wine bottles on wooden shelving. A few Shimenawa (traditional ropes to ward against evil spirits) can be spotted on the walls and doors.
Walking inside, we were met by an enthusiastic “irasshaimase!” (welcome!) from the staff, including the chefs right at the back, before being shown to our table. These greetings, as well as the calls of “arigato gozaimasu!” (thank you!) to departing guests, would punctuate our meal, and you couldn’t help but enjoy these joyful outbursts.
The first hurdle of any Japanese restaurant is the miso soup, and Kiki’s, rich in flavour and generously loaded with spring onions, cleared it with ease. Our chopsticks were then called into action for the sushi: soft shell crab and avocado uramaki (£15.60) was a delight, each mouthful delivering a satisfying contrast of crunchy batter and tender crab meat, while assorted nigiri (£38), arranged across a bamboo leaf on a wooden plank, paired mackerel, buttery-soft tuna belly and melt-in-your-mouth fatty salmon.
The star dish was the beef sukiyaki (£19.50) hot pot. In the middle was the steaming bowl of hearty broth, its surface broken by a tangle of thinly sliced beef, tofu and a colourful medley of vegetables. Among the small side dishes it came with was a raw egg, which we were advised to pour into the broth before diving in.
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The sukiyaki proved earthy and comforting, while the pickled vegetables offered welcome tangy textural juxtaposition. The longer we sat with it, the sweeter the broth became, as the submerged onion and napa cabbage released their sugars.
“I’ve been training and working as a chef in Japanese cuisine for over 20 years, with a strong background in traditional washoku and kaiseki,” owner Keita Tano told me afterwards. “We aim to bring something different to Kentish Town: dishes that are common in Japan but rarely seen in London. In this way, our restaurant is not only a place to eat, but also a cultural bridge between London and Japan.”
So far, he’s more than succeeding.
Kiki is at 253 Kentish Town Rd, London NW5 2JT, follow @kiki_restaurant_london
