Azuma — Restaurant in London

We don’t usually head down Holloway Road for food, but we had a sleeping baby and had just dropped off our kids at play dates nearby so decided to see what we could find for lunch. Azuma is a really unassuming restaurant, although I’d be more inclined to call it a cafe as it’s very casual inside. The set up is basic, as is the decor, and at first glance, it looks like you should go up to the counter to order. But no!

We popped in around Sunday lunchtime and it wasn’t too busy - about a third of the tables were occupied. Despite this, I think only one person was covering the tables so it took a short while before we were given menus.

We ordered the gyoza, karaage, chicken teriyaki and chicken katsu. Portions were generous, it was well priced and most importantly, tasty. A mum and son were having sushi next to us which looked great, and they also ordered bibimbap which I made a mental note to order next time. There will definitely be a next time!

Overall, service was ok. We had some confusion over communication, but we got there in the end. They didn’t seem to have some of the drinks which were on the menu, so that’s also something to take into consideration. However, our waitress was friendly and polite.

I’m keen to come back here again with my kids - I think they’d really enjoy the food here and I’d love to get them to be more adventurous (which isn’t saying much as they’re suspicious of everything which isn’t beige) and try sushi and some of the rice dishes.

My other half said he’d describe Azuma as “tasty, good value...

I've been wanting to come to this place for awhile, and since I was around I thought I'd give it a shot, and I'm very glad I did!

The restaurant inside is immaculate, and the walls are covered in traditional Japanese artwork and some exposed brickwork. We sat outside though as it was a lovely warm day, and the shade from the street provided a nice breezy place to enjoy a meal. We were served by a lovely lady who, although didn't speak much, was very friendly and helpful.

The food itself is divine! I'm pretty used to Japanese food and the way it tastes now, so I thought I would go with the Bibimbap with chicken. Once I put some of the chilli sauce on it, it bursted with flavour and made me want to keep going for more. The Edamame beans also were very well cooked and not buttery, as some other restaurants have sometimes. I was also told that the coffee was really good.

I'm really hopeful that this place does well because Holloway needs more flavourful...

Service? Terrible. It’s unclear if it’s a self- or table-service, some people had their order taken at the table and some had to go to the till/kitchen. We were ignored for a while, and when one of the workers finally approached the till to take our orders, it was difficult to communicate with him – he wasn’t listening to my questions at all, mumbling something under his nose. Ordering was a struggle, so do not expect proper explanation of the dish or any adjustments to be made. As for food, chicken karaage came raw inside. After asking the kitchen to remake it, they returned it to us still pink inside (pic 1). We also ordered tuna outside roll, in which tuna seemed to be spoiled: colour was grey, it smelled off and had a slimy texture?? (pic 2) Outrageous! We left without touching it. We seemed to be not the only ones to have a problem, as a lady at the neighbouring table also went to the kitchen to...