RONIN

Ronin’s the kind of place that could be situated in any style capital of the world, but thanks to its engaged staff and serious food and drink programme it never veers into pretension. The contemporary, Japanese-inflected seafood-forward menu is served without frippery, and its roll call of esoteric Japanese flavourings and garnishes is an intriguing proposition. Staff exude that inimitable laid back confidence and you can be assured that every person on the floor knows the (daily changing) menu enough to be able to tell you whether or not an ingredient is local or flown in from Japan, or if there’s a particularly intriguing sake you should be pairing with your appetiser. Flavours are sharply defined and carefully considered, so that a dish of bonito sashimi might be matched with piquant curls of pickled wood-ear fungus, peppery mizuna and golden flakes of roasted garlic, or a skewer of chargrilled pike mackerel has its rich oily flesh tempered with delicate dollops of mugi miso mixed with parsley and onion. Come for the incredible cooking, stay for the good vibes.