In the strange old world of restaurant comings and goings, the sad demise of sushi place Oishii saw nearby Turkish Kitchen move round the corner, take over the premises and slightly rebrand as Zara’s Turkish Kitchen. What has moved in to the shop they left behind? A sushi place, of course!

Hakataya is a sister restaurant to the impressively good Tang’s on Candlemaker Row. With seating for twenty four people, it’s very smartly appointed, with a particularly eye-catching mural on one wall. It combines both sushi bar style shelf seats, in the window, with a more formal restaurant space. It has a lovely feel to it.

The menu is very comprehensive, as with Tang’s, covering sushi, noodle dishes and other classics of Japanese cooking.

I was in the mood for ramen so opted for the Yokohama variety, which came topped with delicious pieces of pork.

It was a dish of immense flavour and no small measure of elegance. It was a lovely mixture of textures, with excellent crisp freshness from vegetables. It was an extremely accomplished dish.

So overall, Hakataya has hit the ground running, with an offering that is very good in every aspect. I look forward to many future visits and would urge you to go there at your earliest convenient opportunity.

Scores
Blythe scores Hakataya
4/5 for food
4/5 for presentation
4/5 for setting
4/5 for service
giving an overall 16/20

I ate: Yokohama ramen

I drank: green tea

I wore: action footwear

Total bill: £16.45