Machiya

5 Panton St, London SW1Y 4DL

A sweet and sticky Pan-Asian paintbrush has often been brushed over the diverse dishes hailing from the continent. Anglicised interpretations have been more detrimental than good: flavours are often emphasised to suit an oft-crude British pallette. It is so refreshing then, to visit a restaurant which basks in its own simplicity and authenticity. This is exactly what this quaint Japanese restaurant excels at.

The menu is deceptively varied, with dishes ranging from donburi bowls to tonkatsu. I went for the gyudon donburi, with thinly cut beef, pickled ginger and an onsen egg in a sake and soy sauce. The slow-cooked egg added an extra dimension to the sauce as its creaminess infused the rice; the beef was perfectly seasoned; the sauce present but not overpowering. It was in all, an incredibly satisfying dish.

My dining partner could not stop raving about his dish of egg noodles, pork belly and bamboo shoots, though it was finished too quickly to enquire exactly why!

Though I have no expertise myself to certify the Japanese authenticity of this restaurant, I have it on good authority from a top Japanese chef that this does indeed hit the proverbial mark. Machiya is a restaurant fighting against accepted mediocracy, and it is very much winning.