Up at the counter at Himi
What do we need to know about Himi?
This new Carnaby spot sees the chefs who were behind top-tier omakase restaurant Roji, this time opening what they're describing as a 'Tokyo-Style Neo-Izakaya'. If you're wondering what exactly that is, it's a more refined take on the drinking food that you'd find in a Japanese izakaya/bar. So it's somewhere in the middle between a full-blown omakase experience and casual izakaya fare.
Where is it?
They've taken over the old INO Gastrobar site just off the main drag in Carnaby, on Newburgh Street. It's a pretty small spot with counter dining by the open kitchen at the front and a downstairs dining room that's brighter than the description suggests, with its own skylight at the back. The nearest tube would be Oxford Circus.
The light and airy dining room
Where should we meet for a drink first?
The nearest place would be Antidote wine bar, which is almost opposite the restaurant. If it's a good pub you're after than the Sun and 13 Cantons is just a few minutes walk away.
Where should we sit?
We always like to be up at the counter seeing the chefs at work. But we also think the seats up at the window overlooking Newburgh Street would be great if you prefer a little bit of people-watching. The good news, if you remember how tight the counter seating was when this was INO, is that they've reduced the kitchen slightly giving diners more legroom to make this more a comfortable experience.
We love a well-positioned window seat
What kind of menu is it?
There's a mix of sushi and sashimi along with dishes cooked using the open-flame charcoal grill. So it's totally up to you whether you want to stick to a traditional sushi experience or mix it up with some of their new more creative dishes. Here's what we had to try and give you an idea of the breadth of the menu here at Himi.
Kogashi Edamame with brown butter and garlic (£5.50) - they give you special napkins to cope with this dish. You might not need them though as that buttery garlic dressing is quite literally finger-licking good.
Maguru Norian Ae - bluefin tuna sashimi with seaweed and mustard (£18)
Torikara (£9.50) two kinds of fried chicken, chicken wing lollipops and boned out thigh nuggets. These may have been the best Japanese fried chicken we've ever had the delight to eat. We particularly liked the lollipops dusted with sansho pepper and the konbu mayo with shichimi powder that it came with for dipping.
Ebichili (£18.50) - grilled Red Shrimp served with their own fried heads along with a chilli squid ink sauce.
Nigiri selection (a chef's selection of five pieces of sushi, £27) - given how good the sushi was at Roji, you know you're in good hands here.
What's on the menu for vegetarians or vegans?
There's actually quite a lot on offer from those amazing edamame beans to the following:
Shojin tofu (£6.50) house made tofu with tempura Enoki Mushroom and Shojin Dashi and we liked the mix of textures between the set tofu and the fried enoki.
Sumibi-yake kale salad (£6.50) - if you're up at the counter you can watch them making this in a metal sieve over the live fire. London's kale game is getting seriously competitive between this and the kale fritters at Kolae.
Room for dessert?
There are just three desserts and we tried two of them for you. The other option is a chocolate sorbet which can be made up as a vegetarian, gluten-free and dairy-free dish.
Sake lees and hojicha ice cream (£6.50) - perfect if you don't like your desserts too sweet.
Dioka - walnut cookies served with a sake kasu custard (£2.50) - a dish based on the walnut cookies chef Tamas remembers from his childhood in Hungary.
What about the drinks list?
As this is a neo-izakaya, they do have a Himi house beer on draft, along with a selection of classic cocktails and their own creations. There are also some alcohol-free options too. But if you are drinking alcohol we'd seriously urge you to at least try some of the sake on offer here. If you let yourself be guided into pairings the dessert sake is perfect with those ice-creams.
Overall thoughts
We thought the sushi experience at Roji was sublime, but we can totally see why Tamas and Tomoko wanted to liberate themselves from the constraints of classic sushi cooking and shake things up a bit. Happily London diners are the ones who win in this situation.
There is so much on the menu at Himi that we're already thinking we need to go back and try - the temaki hand rolls and wagyu tataki are calling to us. This would be just as good a place to drop in for a glass of cold beer and a couple of small plates as it would be to book in for dinner and give the menu a real going over. Highly recommended.
More about Himi
Where is it? 4 Newburgh Street, London W1F 7RF
How to book: book online here
Find out more: Visit their website or follow them on Instagram @himi_ldn.
Hot Dinners dined as guests of Himi. Prices correct at time of publication.
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