Jidori in London’s Covent Garden | Photos: Supplied
Even after a decade of living in the English capital, I still fall for West End tourist traps. Especially when it comes to impulse eating. (Hence I rely on Pret way too much). Thus, Jidori is an ace up the culinary sleeve of anyone who frequents central London and finds themselves suddenly hungry and short on time. (And cash.)
This fantastically cheap, no frills Japanese restaurant enjoys an understated presence on a busy Covent Garden street. It’s an area otherwise overcrowded with overpriced chains resteros and sticky-floored gastro pubs.
At Jidori, the food is thrillingly authentic and cooked quickly. Meanwhile the service is efficient enough that can be in and out pretty quickly if you have a show to catch.
What’s on offer might require lengthily explanation if you’re new to the cuisine, thus the menu could arguably go into greater detail. But Googling it all is part of the fun. For example we discovered ‘Yakitori’ means skewered chicken; we tried the ‘tsukune’; hunks of glazed, minced meat, served with egg yolk.
The casual, friendly and knowledgeable staff can fill in any gaps. They showcased a cheery enthusiasm for the food and an easy confidence with pronunciations.
Chicken and egg features heavily on what is a fairly limited menu. We also the kori fried chicken with nori salt and lemon. It was exceptional. Nori being edible seaweed, the exterior of the tender chicken was proudly green in colour. It had a crunchy texture and a punchy, tangy flavor.
Both dishes were gently exalted by a fluffy rice accompaniment, enriched with a soft-cooked onsen egg. The idea is for the diner/s to mix the two together at the table, making for a cool Instagram Story moment.
I should be bored of sweet potato by now, having eaten it week-in, week-out in many different forms for years. But Jidori puts a fresh spin on it, and thus it was my dish of the evening.
‘The coal-grilled sweet potato gets some seriously loving treatment here’
A ‘small plate’, but huge, the root vegetable that defined a generation (I’ve always wanted to write that!) gets some seriously loving treatment here.
Coal-grilled and blackened to perfection, it was fleshy and intensely-flavored. Served with homemade kewpie (a sharp Japanese mayo) and egg salad, it would be fine to order this as a main.
Dessert was a close second: spicy ginger ice cream, salty miso caramel, plus sweet potato crisps and black sesame praline. (Yes, sweet potato gets a reprise). It tasted lovely. But what sticks with me is the texture of the ice cream. Crushed and crunchy, it was a bit like a Slush Puppy, but laced with thick, heavenly liquid rather than cheap syrup!
Other savoury dishes I liked the look of but didn’t try included the katsu curry scotch egg and sesame and chilli marinated cucumbers.
The restaurant has a private karaoke room downstairs for 8-12 people. A second Jidori can be found at 89 Kingsland High Street in East London. Both restaurants are currently offering a £6 ($7.69, €6.65) lunch deal during the week.
For more information about, visit jidori.co.uk.
