Shokudo (Lichfield) Sushi & Japanese kitchen — Restaurant in Lichfield

My partner and I went for dinner and ordered 2x starters, main meals and drinks, which came to roughly £50 (including tip). We were very happy with our experience, and will definitely be coming back.

The starters of duck spring rolls and tempura prawns were great, and a surprisingly generous portion. Our mains were the spicy udon soup and the miso ramen. Both were lovely, and we enjoyed them for what they were.

The miso soup was quite mild and light (very similar to Koi Ramen in south London) and was a great counter to the punchiness of the spicy udon. It was really good to find a lighter option on the menu to what can sometimes be quite heavy offerings. Our only slight disappointment was that the pork with the miso ramen was a bit tough and didn't have much flavour, but otherwise, we were really pleased.

We very much intend to return and try more from the menu, and help support another independent restaurant in the town centre.

It would be lovely, in time, to see things like condiments on the tables (e.g. soy, furekake, togarashi etc) as you see in many ramen or Japanese restaurants. It would also be fun to have a range of additional toppings on the menu to add to your ramen, as I missed the crunch and variety additional flavours in our soups.

The food certainly isn't the same as what you would get at Soho places like Tokyo Diner or Bone Daddies, but it feels unfair to expect that! It's comparable to many smaller places we've eaten at that aren't based in city centers, and was a far more "authentic" experience than eating at to a chain like Wagamamas, and...

I write this review as somebody who has spent several months in Japan and lived in Japanese culture for several years. Parking at the Friary car park is free at certain times, and reasonably priced at others. Walk to the restaurant is only 1-2mins from here. From arrival this felt very Japanese. Welcomed at the door with greetings. Seated in a comfy, modern area. Service was incredible, no waiting, nothing was a hassle, friendly chat with the owner checking 'front of house' was as it should be, really added to the enjoyment. Ordered green tea, a beer, and an unreasonably-reasonably-priced bottle of sake (no idea how they make money on the sake). The sake was authentically served warm, enhancing the flavour. Gyoza variety for starter with Wakame salad, must admit both were absolutely spot-on. The gyoza were lightly crisped and generously filled in a way I only experienced in higher-end restaurants in Japan. A dish I knew well was Japanese style curry, so decided to use this as a benchmark, the flavour, texture and presentation with katsu style chicken was fantastic. Portions were generous too, to the point of bringing a 'doggy-bag' home. Having tried several Japanese restaurants in the Midlands, growing up with Manchester's Chinatown available daily, and living in Japanese culture for several years, I can say you will not be disappointed visiting Ume. A new favourite has arrived...

I've waited for years for a Japanese restaurant to appear in Lichfield and when it finally did visiting it was a very underwhelming experience. Food was OK enough (nothing majorly special) but it's the ambience and decor that leave a lot to be desired. I get it, the owners/staff aren't Japanese but the exterior and interior of this restaurant need improving to a higher more authentic Japanese feel if they want to get more folks through the door. Also the music they played during our time there was dreadful too. Nobody wants to hear "Country Roads" being played in an attempted Japanese style restaurant as it ruins the Asian vibes. And I certainly don't want to hear it and whatever else was on repeat THREE TIMES during the hour we were in there. I'm not a vegetarian but they could definitely do with more vege dishes (again would lead to more customers). Having spent a whole month eating my way around Japan itself recently I doubt I'll be visiting again unless more effort is put into the whole...