I love living in Ealing – not just for its lovely parks,
down-to-earth people and great pubs - but for its plethora of superb Japanese
restaurants. We really are spoiled for choice.
We’ve got cheap and cheerful Hare
& Tortoise for a quick, healthy takeaway; Okawari for authentic and
inexpensive Japanese canteen classics, such as really good Teriyaki, and
Atariya for some seriously excellent sushi and sashimi. It’s Kiraku though, just
opposite Ealing Common Station, that stands out to me as somewhere really
special that’s worth a trip out West.
Kiraku is a friendly, bright place run by Japanese sisters who take pride in customer service. Although food can sometimes take a while getting to your table, after the chorus of "Irasshaimase!" when you arrive and the warm smile from the waitress, you really won’t mind a bit.
The menu at Kiraku can seem a bit daunting at first glance. There’s a huge number of dishes to try, many of which you would be hard-pressed to find in the average high street Japanese place. This is definitely the place to try something different from your regular katsu curry, yakisoba or ‘sushi set A’.
On my recent visit, I went for the salt-grilled salmon with a sake onigiri (rice ball), a delicious miso soup and the most amazing Nasu Dengaku (grilled aubergine with sweet miso).
Oh my GOD that aubergine was good. One half was heavily coated in black miso, the other half was daubed in white miso - the latter of which is so sweet and caramel-like, but still rich with umami. I honestly don’t think you get depth of flavour like this in any cuisine outside the Far East.
The salmon was treated like a piece of pork belly – it’s skin scored and salted and grilled until blistered and crispy. The pink flesh was yielding and pleasingly fatty. Combined with generous rice ball with yet more salmon and a strip of chewy nori, I was very satisfied indeed.
M stuck to sushi as usual and also took a chance on the tempura, which I find is almost always bad in the UK – either not crisp enough or too greasy. Here it was standing so proudly on the plate, you could tell the prawns and vegetables would be perfectly cooked and the batter bubbly and crunchy.
Central London has some fabulous Japanese restaurants (Dinings is a favourite with me for a special occasion) but Kiraku offers a very authentic and accessible taste of Japan AND it’s right in my own backyard!
http://kirakulondon.wordpress.com/
8 Station Parade
Uxbridge Rd
W5 3LD
