Toconoco — Restaurant in London

So good! There was only one thing I didn't enjoy. Friendly staff. Go here with alot of space to eat, there are many menu items which are all hearty and affordable and daily lunch specials, but since it's a gem in the neighbourhood area I recommend getting there around 2-3pm to beat the busy lunch rush! There are alot of seats but they were all filled up. The interior is so lovely and so are the views outside! We had a black sesame latte, nice and aromatic and had a good light sweetness, very good decaf option, as well as toast that comes with 2 slices and 3 spreads: matcha, black sesame, and red bean, HIGHLY recommend this- Discontinued product 🥲 The matcha latte was nice and smooth, so it's made well compared to other matchas in london, and a good light sweetness to it, personally I think I would prefer it stronger/less sweet, other regular matcha drinkers would also agree. - I have come multiple times after this and they kindly made it stronger for me upon request! We tried the genmaicha and hojicha takeaway but the genmaicha was especially weak sadly, I could only taste milk, the hojicha was nice but for personal preference not strong enough- if I got it again I would request it stronger (I recommend people who have hojicha often to request this aswell). We also had rice balls which are so good for the price. If you are a fan of sour things, try the sour plum onigiri, I really enjoyed it, and also the bonito flake one! Then we had soba noodles and udon noodles, both so good🥹. The noodles were a very good texture and the soup had alot of flavour which alot of restaurants lack and charge too much for, these noodles and soups start at £6 and are a good portion too. The udon and soba noodles have different broths and we loved both kinds! The udon is so silky smooth! They also give togarashi (japanese spice blend) with soups which pair very well with the broth. We also tried a salmon ochazuke which is rice, salmon on top sitting in a bit of broth which was nice but I don't think I would get it again :) In terms of the savoury food, it was very pleasant and fresh tasting. The only thing we didn't enjoy was the cheesecake of the day which was matcha flavour. It was still frozen, you could actually hear that it was frozen from cutting through it with the fork, so it should've been clear to the workers and they shouldn't have served it. If they told me that it wasn't ready yet I'd have no issue with that :) The cheesecake also had a weird taste to it, tasted like fridge/freezer smell, so they should cling film the cake or put it in a large container before putting in the fridge/freezer to prevent this. Update: I also tried another cheesecake upon a different visit and I still tasted a fridge smell in the cake, if this is something that you don't notice then you would probably enjoy it still! I'm not one to complain to and inconvenience workers so I just ate and finished it both times. Though I did try a sweet potato Blondie that was kept at room temperature and I loved it🍠 The matcha ice cream was good. Still would 100% go back! - I have returned around 3-4 times now🫶🏽 The staff are amazing and the...

I'm aware that Toconoco recently experienced a fire and that they are still trying to get back on their feet, however that's no excuse for the health and safety issues my friends and I experienced there, or for the poor customer service. Toconoco touts itself as a child friendly space, and yet there were non-child friendly building materials left in the children's nook, next to the play kitchen. I asked a member of staff to move the materials ten minutes before my friends' children arrived, and she agreed, but then I ended up doing it myself as she never got around to doing it. My group consisted of three adults and three children under 3 (one needing a high chair), and the only table large enough to accommodate us at that time was half of the largest table. However, we were unable to all actually sit there for nearly an hour because the owner/manager was sat there sprawled out on his own with his laptop, bills and ashtray. On the floor next to him was a rubbish bin full of paperwork, and on the tatami bench perpendicular to him, was a Duty Free sized case of cigarettes in a clear plastic bag, clothing and stuffed toys messily taking up the entire space. This manager did not make eye contact or greet us in any way, and made no attempt to make room for us, his target market (people with young children). When I spoke to the waitress at the counter about it, she looked embarrassed about it, and said that she couldn't ask her manager to make room for us, their customers. Finally, after us being there for nearly an hour, the so-called manager packed his things away and made room for us. He then took his cigarettes and ashtray outside, and started smoking whilst sat directly opposite a woman and a baby seated at the same table! The food here was just OK. One of my Japanese friends was disappointed with her omelette special (she can make way better herself), and my meal was nice, but not good enough to make up for appalling customer service, and health and...

Living just around the corner from Toconoco, I'm a bit surprised it took me nearly 2 years to properly visit them for lunch. Especially given their menu features everything from delicious home-made matcha latte's to a large variety of Japanese delicacies such as rice balls wrapped in seaweed to natto.

Run by local Japanese expats, you genuinely feel like you're entering a small spot somewhere around Tokyo. Containing large windows with immaculately spread wooden chairs and tables, whilst adding a touch of authenticity with tatami-mats, it is one of the most comfortable places to dine around the area. The decor is inviting and extremely light, which adds to the above.

From your simple Udon noodles to healthy miso options, Toconoco has a daily changing lunch menu (apart from Tuesdays, when the place is, sadly, closed) which features delicacies such as Japanese omelette on a rice bed with miso, Oyakodon chicken served with tomato and onion marinated salad and Teriyaki-chiken, cucumber and seaweed vinegar salad. Each portion contains a complimentary bowl of miso. As a cherry on top (no pun intended), Toconoco offers a range of scrumptuous desserts such as green matcha cheesecake and almond white chocolate blondie.

The staff is incredibly friendly and all portions are served within 15 minutes from the point of order. Toconoco has quickly cemented itself as one of my favourite places in London.

The only "downside" is that it closes at 5:30pm, which makes it hard to frequent the place during the week, unless you work near by.

Overall, Toconoco is a keeper and I would warmly recommend it to anyone who enjoys authentic Japanese cuisine. Happy to have...