Tang’s had been on our list of places to visit since the very first month of reviewing, back in August 2011. For one reason or another, we’d not made it along. As is quite often the way, I found myself rather sorry to have neglected it, as today’s visit was rather impressive.

Exterior

Split across two levels, although I only saw the downstairs room, Tang’s is quite simply appointed, but it all seems quite fitting. It has a reserved elegance.

Upon being seated, by the attentive waitress, I was brought three menus: the a la carte; the wine list; and the lunchtime offers. The latter had a weekly changing selection of dishes. From that, I was happy to opt for the salmon sashimi and sushi set, featuring two pieces of salmon sashimi, two pieces of salmon nigiri, six salmon maki, and some miso soup. For £7.95, this struck me as pretty decent value.

Salmon set

My items soon arrived, and I was delighted to see such neat finesse, particularly after the lack of attention to presentational detail I’d recently experienced at the new Bonsai. The nigiri looked quite outstanding.

I was soon tucking in. The miso soup was good, and the maki rather better than good, and the sashimi nice and fresh. It was the elegant nigiri that was the star of the show, though, with beautiful salmon combining with well fashioned rice to form mouthfuls of joy.

Miso soup

I’m definitely starting to get a better feel for sushi places, after initial scepticism, and still an overall “like not love” feeling. Kanpai stands head and shoulders above the rest, but I have found particular strengths in other places.

I enjoyed Koyama’s breadth of choice and the tuna sashimi I had there was the best I’ve sampled. I thought Hay Sushi’s lunchtime set very pretty indeed, and really enjoyed their sushi rice. The salmon sashimi at Miso & Sushi was particularly memorable, and from today, I thought Tang’s nigiri the best I’ve tried, so far.

So overall, I found Tang’s a really attractive lunchtime Japanese option. The value on offer was high, with dishes of real quality delivered for an extremely reasonable cost. I look forward to my next visit, when I’ll try something else from their excellent selection.

Scores
Blythe scores Tang’s
4/5 for food
4/5 for presentation
3.5/5 for setting
3.5/5 for service
giving an overall 15/20

Today’s quester was: Blythe

I ate: salmon sashimi, salmon nigiri, salmon maki, miso soup

I drank: water

I wore: maroon shirt

Total bill: £7.95