Last Updated on July 3, 2024
High-quality and relaxed Japanese dining in Shoreditch.
The past few years have been strong ones for Japanese cuisine in the London food scene – with new openings across the price spectrum popping up across the capital. Whether high-end omakase menus or the more informal izakaya set-up, Londoners’ appetite for Japanese food and culture is only growing. It’s in this context that I was very pleased to be invited to try Sushi Revolution’s newly opened second location on Curtain Road in Shoreditch, located in London’s East End. Its first site opened in Brixton in 2021 and was founded by chef Tom Blackshaw and waiter Aidan Bryan, who were colleagues previously and have collectively 40 years’ experience in the restaurant industry.
The concept behind Sushi Revolution, as explained to us by the affable chef Tom, is to blend styles and concepts around sushi with high-quality ingredients and respect for the traditional flavours and styles of sushi, while avoiding the stuffy environs found at the highest end of Japanese restaurants. This approach allows space for innovation and as Chef Tom puts it, means that he is not concerned about how punters enjoy his food (for example, the use of ginger, wasabi and soy sauce with sushi can have strict rules in place at certain locations) but rather his focus is on providing a range of thoughtful dishes which cater to a variety of preferences, drawing on his years of experience in the industry. Blackshaw indeed has some impressive names on his CV – the renowned Nikkei restaurant Chotto-Matte and the ever-popular Sticks n Sushi to name just two – and the influence of his training at this high level is evident in the care and precision he takes in preparing sushi rolls, as we observed over the top of the bar where we sat for dinner.
The Shoreditch location of Sushi Revolution has 34 covers and is located on the ground floor of the new Stage Plaza development. The Museum of Shakespeare will open opposite the restaurant in 2025.
We began our meal with some bar snacks – of which the spicy edamame with spicy mayo was the standout. The chipotle flavours were an excellent new way to enjoy the ubiquitous edamame snack in Japanese restaurants, and I will certainly never view the plain version the same way again. The cocktail menu blends a variety of Japanese flavours, and we enjoyed picante sour with tequila, pineapple, fino sherry, honey, smoked salt and spicy rum, as well as the Yuzu cosmo with vodka, yuzu sake, cranberry and orange bitters. Later, we also enjoyed the Hofbrauahus Traunstein Helles beer, only imported into the UK by the chef’s father.
From the salad section, my companion and I agreed that the fried Japanese aubergine with beetroot den miso, crispy onions, sesame and coriander cress was one of the best items on the menu. The meaty aubergine was richly enhanced with miso flavours from the den miso – a base dressing in Japanese cooking. When visiting Sushi Revolution, make sure this dish is the first one you order.
The sea bass ceviche with house leche de tigre, canchas and chive oil was also excellent, the fish was very fresh and served cold, with complex and tart acidic flavours. Also from this sushi section of the menu was the tuna tartare, a fresh and summery dish served with a prawn cracker which can be used to scoop up the finely sliced fish. From another section called Revolution, we ordered the panko popcorn shrimp with chilli mayo, chives and parmesan. Gently fried and battered, the shrimp was delicious in its sticky sauce with a squeeze of lemon on top. Also from Revolution was the tender and flavourful chicken karaage nanban with yuzu kosho mayo, red onion, spring onion, sesame and tonkatsu.
We’d arrived at Sushi Revolution hungry, and that came in useful as despite the bounty we’d already been served, Chef Tom had more dishes he wanted us to try and we were more than happy to oblige. We were soon presented with a large platter from the Kaburimaki (8 pieces) part of the menu. Perfectly arranged along the platter was tempura prawn, avocado, spicy mayo, teriyaki, avocado and sesame. The rice used at Sushi Revolution is also in keeping with the blend of styles which is at the heart of the restaurant’s ethos – the half-Japanese and half-Vietnamese rice makes the sushi rice used here more golden in colour and offers a different flavour profile to what one would be served in a conventional high-end sushi restaurant. The Kaburimaki platter was delicious and fresh – prepared moments before we ate it at the sushi bar.
There are two items on the dessert menu, the Italian-inspired Revolution miso brownie bites and mochi offered in coconut, green tea, mango, chocolate and tropical flavours. The soft and chewy mochi was a refreshing and perfect end to a wonderful meal at Sushi Revolution.
Offering a range of dishes at reasonable prices, and blending both high-end and more informal styles of Japanese cuisine, Sushi Revolution is strongly recommended for a quick bite, a longer and more leisurely meal, or a sushi takeaway to be enjoyed at home. Friendly and knowledgeable staff make for an enjoyable dining experience at a commendable new sushi opening in London.
Sushi Revolution, Shoreditch
2, Stage Plaza,
Curtain Rd,
London EC2A 3NQ
