The sushi counter and ground floor dining room at Shiro
What do we need to know about Shiro?
This new sushi spot is the latest opening from Hong Kong's Aqua Restaurant Group - who also run Aqua Kyoto and Aqua Nueva just off Oxford Circus along with Aqua London and Hutong in the Shard. So they've had a few successes in London already. This sees them bringing their Hong Kong success Shiro to London, floating on a raft of publicity for the restaurant's signature crystal sushi offering. But it turns out that this restaurant has more to offer than just its oh-so-grammable sushi.
Where is it?
Unlike their other London establishments which are known for their views, you'll find this restaurant firmly on ground level. It's right beside Broadgate Circle as part of the revamped 100 Broadgate development, so the nearest station is Liverpool Street.
Where's a good place to meet for a drink first?
There's actually a large and rather lovely upstairs bar here at Shiro, so that's certainly the easiest choice. Overlooking Broadgate Circle, it serves up a selection of their own creations along with classic cocktails and some innovative non-alcoholic versions too like the Ureshi made with grapefruit, pineapple, shiso sherbet and wasabi.
The Plum and Ginger Margarita (£14) is just the thing to power you through winter with chilli and ginger to give you a real kick.
What's on the menu?
As you might expect, the menu roams through various tartares, tataki and tempura dishes through to sushi, robata and mains. Two areas are worth highlighting, though, the crystal sushi which is their signature sushi innovation and Executive Chef Tatsuya Iawhashi's 48 hour ramens.
There's also a separate lunch menu of sushi, ramen and other lunch sets, all of which come with a bowl of miso soup too.
Here's a selection of what we tried to give you a flavour.
Rock shrimp tempura with spicy chilli and garlic mayonnaise (£13) - having had our favourite iteration of this dish last year at Annabel's, the Shiro version is every bit as good as that.
Red prawn tataki with tsuma salad dressed with sudachi and ginger (£25) - one of the standout dishes of the night
Spicy tuna and salmon tartare with a ginger and shallot dressing served with lotus chips and Oscietra caviar (£17)
We had a special platter put together by the chef, but a similar one (without the crystal sushi) would be the Omakase deluxe edomae sushi (£31 for 12 pieces).
Australian Wagyu bavette with arima sansho (£30) - special mention goes out to that amazing braised daikon.
What's on the menu for vegetarians and vegans?
There are loads to choose from avocado tempura and kabocha pumpkin gyoza through to chargrilled aubergine maki and a plant-based ramen with fresh tofu, seaweed and mushroom dashi broth.
Room for dessert?
With only four desserts on offer it's a surprisingly enticing dessert offering. If we hadn't ordered so much before now we'd definitely have wanted to try the mango tempura too.
As it was, the black sesame fondant with white miso ice-cream (£6) was an innovative take on a classic dessert.
What about drinks?
As you might expect from a sushi spot in the heart of the City, prices are pretty punchy with only a handful of bottles under the £50 mark and the odd showing from Dom Perignon and Puligny-Monstrachet for those on expense accounts. There's also a short selection of sake on offer too with glasses starting at £11.
Overall thoughts
Dining on the last work night of the year before London shut for the holidays, Shiro was pretty much the only place we saw doing good business with practically no empty tables. It's an easy spot to like, perfect for pulling up a seat at the counter for some solo ramen slurping at lunchtime or for going with a group to try out some of the larger sushi platters. It'll do very well here.
More about Shiro
Where is it? 100 Liverpool Street, Broadgate Circle, London EC2M 2RH
Offer: Get 30% off your food bill with our reader deal until 31 January - offer here
Find out more: Visit their website.and follow them on Instagram @shirosushilondon.
Hot Dinners dined as guests of Shiro. Prices correct at time of publication.
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