Hiden - Japanese Curry Lab - — Restaurant in London

I really liked the look of this slick, minimalist and modern Japanese curry house.

Upon receiving my £11 curry ( expensive but actually for the location not unreasonable for lunch), I noted to my partner that given it was literally a lump of adequately cooked sticky rice and a ladle of curry sauce and chicken, it had to be spectacular to carry the simplicity.

I was offered a wooden disposable tea spoon as cutlery and handed the tub. The sauce smelled lovely and was of a nice consistency but unfortunately I found it inedible. There was an extremely bitter taste of raw spice at the back of my palate. Like someone had added powdered spice into the curry late and not cooked it out. The wooden spoon also snapped on the tough chicken which had undoubtedly been boiled in the sauce. My wife overwhelmingly agreed as did our friend, so I reluctantly returned to the shop.

This was not about taste nor necessarily a characteristic of the business I thought. I just presumed I’d got a bad batch that was not of quality. They would apologise and refund or offer a taste of another batch. The owner however assured me that it was exactly how he wanted it to be and refused a refund.

Fair enough. If that’s what he stands over, he should not refund. I worked in street food for 4 years in London and we stood by our product. In fact, we refunded everyone regardless of the issue, their loss and move on. There were only a handful in 4 years though. It now has 5 successful restaurants in London.

I’m not sure if it was an incidence of pride on behalf of the chef on this occasion which is perhaps forgivable. However if, as he insisted, this bitter, unbalanced, rawly spiced, and inedible to a discerning palate bowl of sauce is their consistent offering, I’m afraid you should avoid like the plague.

If you, like me find it inedible, that’s £11 in...

Tried this place for the first time while exploring Coal Drops Yard, and overall, I was pretty happy with it. I went for the Chicken Katsu Curry, which came out quickly and was presented in a clean, minimal style that matched the small, modern vibe of the shop.

The curry sauce itself was the standout — really fragrant, comforting, and well-balanced. Not overly rich or salty, just a smooth, gently spiced Japanese-style curry that felt clean and satisfying. The rice was nicely cooked and held up well with the sauce.

The chicken katsu, while still enjoyable, was on the dry side. The coating had a nice crisp, but the meat inside could’ve been a little juicier. That said, the flavorful curry helped carry the whole dish and made up for it somewhat.

The space is compact but well thought-out, with a few counter seats inside. It’s perfect for solo diners or a quick lunch on the go. You don’t come here expecting a long, slow sit-down experience — it’s more of a "pop-in, eat well, and carry on" kind of place, and for that, it absolutely delivers.

Staff were friendly, service was efficient, and everything was clean and well-organized. It feels like one of those “hidden gem” type of spots (fitting, given the name), tucked away just off the main hustle of...

To my knowledge, this is the only made-from-scratch Japanese curry place in London. The beef curry sauce I had was rich with pureed vegetables and punchy spices which were deliberately chosen to be enjoyed with the beef. The beef itself had the grizzle left on to add flavour, and was cooked to the perfect softness.

The labour put in to producing this curry alone justifies its price tag. If you're after the standard msg filled curry made from java curry blocks (which is delicious in its own right), I would suggest you go to any other Japanese restaurant in town.

My only criticism is that the condition of the rice did not do justice to the sauce. The grains were broken, stogy, and didn't have the characteristic starchy sweetness of japonica rice. Perhaps this was just an off day though.

I hope to come back and try the chicken and the lentil...