Obon - Sushi & Udon — Restaurant in London

Obon: a petit Japanese udon restaurant that supplies a sense of Japan that cannot be found anywhere else in the whole of the Uk. (5 stars)

Location: Obon is located close to the heart of Kingston but the road it’s on is considerably quieter. You must make sure to have a basic knowledge of Kingston in order to find an area to park and to also make sure you leave yourself enough time, taking the unpredictability of the traffic into acount. Even on a week day there can be traffic jams which can put a halt to your plans and due to the small amount of customers Obon can take its important that you not only book but make sure that you arrive at the agreed booking time. With this being said the staff are all lovely so if you are running late, a quick call is all that is required to just give Obon a chance to understand your position.

The food: The array of exquisitely prepared sashimi will be sure to create the sensation that you are in a top Japanese restaurant in japan and the flavour of the fish does not fail to match expectations, which will be very high after just one glance at your meal. The fish is delicately seasoned and practically melts on your tongue, this causes a lovely sensation and is genuinely the finest sushi I have tasted in the uk and even matches a lot of the top restaurants in japan. On top of just the traditional types of sushi, which to many is maki rolls Obon also offers many other delicious options such as soft shell crab and even Unagi don, which I must highly recommend due to it consistently being the highlight of my meal. For those of you that were interested in the quality of the basic Japanese dishes such as miso soup or edamame they do not fail to leave you in grand anticipation for what is to come for they are, simply speaking, incredibly good. The miso, in my opinion, is truly remarkable and creates a lasting feeling of warmth throughout your entire body, on top of that it is far superior to other miso’s that I have tasted in all other areas of the world. Overall the quality of the food is something you would expect from a world famous Michelin star restaurant and if you want Japanese food it’s the only place I can recommend.

The Restaurant: The restaurant itself is small but authentic in nature and because it only has a enough tables to host around 20 people at the most, the service is exceptionally good and your food is always out quickly so you will not be left hungry for very long. The staff are kind and friendly. And it’s always an enjoyable experience being waves goodbye as you leave the restaurant. You’re also able to watch as they prepare the food, which for some could be entertaining. There are Japanese photos scattered around the room and this further creates an authentic feel. The atmosphere is not lively but it is a restaurant and not a bar so is an ideal location if you are wanting high quality food. With this being said it is still a great place to go with friends and I consistently am able to have a great time no matter the occasion.

Price: Obviously, the price of the food is always an important topic to come to and despite the cost of the sushi being slightly higher than you may expect from a small restaurant in Kingston, I would have to say that for the quality of the food it is ultimately a bargain. For three people, you would be spending around £100 so it isn’t cheap but you can go for cheaper types of food such as udon, which is still amazing quality and won’t set you back as much money.

Overall: Obon is still my favourite restaurant in the whole of the Uk and is perfect for a special occasion but it isn’t the sort of place you’d go for a casual night out. The food is beyond incredible and thus they can cater for both children and adults by meeting every bodies needs. For anybody that enjoys sushi, I would urge you to give it a go, you...

Things to note about this place: Its almost always busy, you should definitely book in advance to avoid disappointment. We got lucky and there was a cancellation after the staff had turned us away.

Cute small restaurant in central kingston

Good things: • The salmon tartar was godly. It seems like such a small portion in the photos but it was so rich and tasty that I actually struggled to finish it. You will not regret having it. Though I have never liked salmon roe. • Seaweed was nice • Sushi you could taste the freshness. The sushi rice was still warm, the ingredients were still good, high quality product. • Friendly staff • Miso was super nice and tasty

Bad things: ° Boy this was pricey for Kingston. I spent almost £40 includng service charge.. ° The staff did mishear my friend so we received a butter fish nigiri but we didn't ask for it. My friend asked for 1 unagi nigiri a few times, we thought staff had got that but an extra thing turned up on the table.. ° The Tofu just wasn't nice. The texture looked crispy, but it was like a crispy coat on top of jelly that coated the tofu. It was so odd and my friend couldn't finish it ° Kaiso salad was standard,...

Cosy venue with a relatively small and simple menu, but what they do, they do it very well. The sauce for the seaweed salad is well balanced and flavourful. The agedashi tofu is fair, it would taste better if served in bigger piece so it taste fluffy rather than firm. The rice for sushi is well made and taste airy as it should be, fish pieces are cut generously, mouth feel is superb, I would highly recommend the butterfish nigiri. Dragon roll is well made, portion is generous and flavour profile is delightful. The absolute must have is definitely the unagi don, portion size is fair, the eel is very well grilled with a hint of charred, rice covered in generous drizzle of of the sauce, one bite of the eel with rice taste divine. This is not some knock off Japanese restaurant, yes, the chefs are Korean, but they really know what they are doing with every dish they serve up. Their version of the unagi don outclass many of the soggy unagi don we have tried in many authentic Japanese restaurant. Would highly recommend this little restaurant to anyone who is looking for a proper Japanese meal. The price isn't cheap, but you won't find quality fish handled by skilled...