Restaurant review: Oishiii

oishiii restaurant

Red light emanating from the glass-fronted Oishiii Japanese Eatery on Church Street could almost be mistaken for downtown Tokyo illuminations. I read that as a good sign.

Inside the decor is simple: a mix of whitewash and red walls, modern art, and dark wooden tables. For those who prefer to watch as the chefs prepare their food, there’s also dining bar space with stools.

The atmosphere is buzzy but not overwhelming, so you can eat as well as have a conversation. That said, the popsy music on loudspeaker was just a teeny bit irritating.

Pricing was reasonable, with appetizers averaging the £5.50 mark, 2-piece portions of nigiri sushi around £2.75, 5-piece portions of sashimi £9.50, 6-piece maki rolls £3.65, and hand rolls £3.60.

Mains came in at an average of £8 and desserts were exactly £3.95 each. There were a variety of set menus and bento box options, including teriyaki, but we preferred to order a la carte.

A good, but not excessively elaborate, selection of wines, spirits, and soft drinks was available, along with some appropriately Asian beers. Sake could be ordered hot or cold and, there was even a sparkling variety (something I hadn’t even realised existed).

I am no expert when it comes to this particular tipple, but having opted for the hot Ozeki Ginkan variety on the recommendation of the manager, we were convinced that it tasted drier and more refined than some of the sake we had had elsewhere.

Salmon sashimi, a favourite, was superbly fresh and delicious for all its simplicity. The more adventurous Uni (sea urchin) nigiri really did taste like the sea. Apparently only the reproductive organs are consumed as a delicacy, but whichever gender lands on your plate is not said to determine flavour! We were certainly pleased to have given this one a try.

Breaking for a refreshing ginger palate cleanser, then on to a mouthful of Ikura (salmon roe nigiri) which delivered a rich burst of flavour and that nice sticky fish egg texture.

The Kaisou salad of mixed kelp was an aesthetic beauty; flavoured with soya and lemon for a juicy tang, it felt as if it was probably packed full of iodine, vitamin C, and all sorts of other things that are good for you.

A tempura prawn roll – rice enfolding prawn and young asparagus, and coated with black sesame seeds – was really delicious and could have rounded off the meal nicely for me. But my greedy husband was still hungry and said he needed just one more tasty morsel.

Unable to decide what to sample next, the ever attentive manager recommended what he described as “the best” Dragon Eel Avocado Ura Maki (inside out roll).

I would say, based on the quality all our other dishes, that this delicacy was likely to have been as good as the manager had said it was. But since eel is an endangered species we turned this option down.

In the end we played safe with the main course Chicken Katsu Curry, a substantial meal that could have packed a bit more flavour in order to lift what tasted slightly like water-inflated chicken pieces. But at £6.50 it was still good value. Without room for dessert, we rounded off our meal with a light and warming cup of Japanese tea.

The verdict: Oishiii is a great new addition to the Stoke Newington restaurant scene and, as far as I’m aware, Hackney’s only Japanese restaurant. It’s not Japanese haute cuisine, but it’s certainly a superior neighbourhood eatery that uses fresh produce (really important when it comes to fish), to make tasty food that’s value for money.

Since our visit to Oishiii, the menu has been expanded to include a variety of pork dishes, and we look forward to returning so that we can sample these too.

Oishiii Japanese Eatery
67 Stoke Newington Church Street
N16 0AR

020 7254 3488
info@oishiii.co.uk

Open 7 days a week
Mon – Fri 5pm – 11pm
Sat – Sun 12pm – 11pm