Japanese

• Ippudo pick Goodge Street for their fourth London opening

  If you're after somewhere in Fitzrovia to sit and slurp ramen, then this international ramen chain are hoping you'll pick their new restaurant on Goodge Street to do just that.

• The Prince Akatoki London hotel sees luxury Japanese group take over The Arch London

   

  Following a £3m makeover this Marble Arch Hotel is being transformed into a luxury property where the restaurant and bar are promising a full Japanese experience.

• Gordon Ramsay is opening Lucky Cat in Mayfair

  

  Gordon Ramsay's first new restaurant for years in London will be inspired by 1930s Tokyo drinking dens - it'll take over the spot where Maze was on Grosvenor Square.

• Bermondsey has a new Japanese restaurant in HAKATA Ramen + Bar

  Serving up ramen, Japanese small plates and more, this Bermondsey spot aims to be part NYC speakeasy, part Japanese dive bar.

• Kurabu at Dinings SW3 will serve up street food inspired snacks and drinks in Chelsea

  

  This week, Chelsea is getting a new Japanese 'street food' spot - if you can really count the mezzanine floor of high-end sushi spot Dinings SW3 as 'street'. Well maybe that's as street as Chelsea gets.

  Kurabu will be the name of the restaurant's new lounge space, taking over the area that used to be set aside for private dining. It'll be serving a completely new range of Japanese snacks and cocktails.

  Chef Chef Masaki Sugisaki's menu will feature

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• Yaki Yaki are serving up taiyaki, matcha soft serves and a croiyaki in Covent Garden

  

  Covent Garden has a new dessert spot that you should expect to see popping up on your Insta feed from now on. Yaki Yaki is all about the Japanese waffle cones taiyaki and opened a week ago just off St Martin's Lane.

  The specialist taiyaki shop will be serving up the traditional fish shaped waffles in two sizes - mini and regular. The minis come in batches of three filled with either vanilla custard, nutella or cheese and jalapeno. If you pick the regular size,

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• Robata on Old Compton Street is serving up Japanese izakaya dishes in Soho

  

  Soho's latest opening is a Japanese izakaya-style spot. Robata, which officially opened its doors on Old Compton Street today, is a project from entrepreneur Sonny Huang whose family has two Chinese restaurants in Birmingham.

  Sonny has teamed up with designers turnerbates Design & Architecture to come up with this Japanese pub serving up dishes cooked over the open robata grill. On the menu you'll find:

  • Soft Shell Crab bao with spicy mayo, green
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• Where to celebrate Cherry Blossom season, Sakura, in London

  

  As sure a sign that spring is upon us as rows of daffodils in London's parks is the popping up of Japanese cherry blossom installations all over town to celebrate Sakura - the cherry blossom season. We've picked out some of the prettiest places putting on Sakura specials this year.

• Kare Kurry is a Japanese curry house in Piccadilly

  This is a new grab and go Japanese curry spot, from the head chef behind Shoryu Ramen's curries. Expect their curry sauce to be at the centre of the menu with an array of toppings. 

• Test driving Kaia's all-you-can-eat Sunday sushi brunch at The Ned

  Londoners do love an all-you-can-eat brunch and the new sushi one at Kaia at The Ned is a doozy.

• Angelina Restaurant will mash up Italian and Japanese food and drink on Dalston Lane

  Expect to see a modern take on Japanese and Italian food in this new Dalston restaurant which also sports a tiny Tokyo-style cocktail bar.

• Tamashii sees an ex-Hakkasan chef popping up in King's Cross

  

  As if the King's Cross restaurant scene wasn't humming enough with the opening of Coal Drops Yard, the culinary buzz has spread to the station's environs. Following fast on the heels of Kaki's opening, comes a new pop-up restaurant and bar Tamashii.

  What's particularly of note is the chap in the kitchen. Chef Wei has 35 years of experience under his belt, including time at Hakkasan and The Colony Club in Mayfair.

  For this King's Cross popup, Wei's

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• London has two new matcha bars - on Tottenham Court Road and in Chelsea

  

  Isn't it always the way. You wait for a matcha bar to open and two come along at once.

  Already open is a popup matcha bar. OHH CHA BAR (pictured above) is currently serving up matcha and snacks at MUJI’s Tottenham Court Road store for two weeks.

  Their menu features classic matcha blends, single cultivar selections as well as unusual loose leaf Japanese teas. And they'll be holding masterclasses so you can more easily whisk yourself up a cuppa at

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• Angelo Sato brings Shokuji to Bermondsey with Omoide

  He used to be the head chef at Restaurant Story and now Angelo Sato's gone in a very different direction with his own place Omoide. Expect the very best Japanese rice bowls.

• Japan Centre and Ichiba are putting on ekiben boxes - for one week only

  

  If you’ve been lucky enough to travel around Japan by train you’ll almost certainly be familiar with the amazing bento boxes you can pick up at the stations. They're typically filled with rice, fish, pickles and other treats. Well now London's Japan Centre is saving you a journey by bringing them to London for the first time – but for one week only.

  From 22 - 28 October the ‘ekiben’ (eki meaning station and bento meaning boxed lunch)

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