Tsuru, Southwark, London

Food brings out the philosopher in me. Unless I’m in an Italian restaurant, of course, in which case I generally morph into a pasta-hoovering Soprano. But I digress…

I haven’t been to Japan. Nor have I been to China or Thailand or India or several other culinary capitals of the world. Accordingly, I try not to comment on the authenticity of assorted restaurants. For all I know Tsuru may be as authentically Japanese as Montgomery’s Cheddar. But what I do know is the food is exceptionally tasty.

The sushi is terrific and the katsu curry had me making odd little murmurs under my breath. They make the sauce daily from scratch and it shows: a deep, but gentle heat, a subtle sweetness, so many flavours… if you thought Wagamama’s interpretation was addictive, you ain’t trued nothing yet.

With a decent wine list, ice cold Asahi on tap and food this good, it’s the sort of place that’s got me checking Southwark property prices or, indeed, sending the charming Emma details of possible restaurant buildings in North London where they MUST have their second outpost…

Then again, the buzzy atmosphere down Canvey Street and Tsuru’s proximity to the Tate make it a reasonable destination place. Just plain great.

After one solitary visit, I am hooked like one of the fine line-caught tuna on offer at this stylish little South Bank number. Yes, not only is the fine Japanese cuisine here of the highest order but it is sourced with an ethical eye and a fussy palate. I am not sure if that makes the poor creatures feel any better, but I can enjoy a guilt-free evening.

What’s more, the other bugbear of mine, bad or indifferent service, is well and truly off the menu at Tsuru. The delightful freshly created assortments were delivered to our high bench-style table with a smile and some liberal splashes of charm.

Let’s recap then: the food is great (with a to die for katsu curry), the service too and the ingredients are top-notch and considerate of our feathered and scaled friends. The environment? Well, I actually quite enjoy this increasingly lively part of London on a Friday evening. The Tate Modern is local and open until 10.00pm, and the bar opposite with its deckchairs, games and outdoor joviality adds to the atmosphere without being overbearing.

There are also regular events held here in the evening, from sake tasting to Japanese music nights to wine evenings with Sotheby’s expert Damian Tillson (who created the perfectly, compact wine list), so it is worth checking the website if you’re looking to make a night of it. A quick in and out however, is also equally worth it.

Good fairly budget priced Japanese restuarant. I have had better sushi but the Japanese style tapas is excellent and check out the amazing and reasonably priced wine list which is a rarity at a Japanese restaurant.

As a Korean friend put it: 'their Katsu tastes just like my mums”. Yummy

Oh, well… what can I say????
At the August Qype party, I had the privilege to win a free dinner at this culinary gem!
My friends and I were treated to a premium sushi platter, exquisite seafood and delicious teriyaki surloin steak, plus the most delicious Spanish wine!!!
We were served by two super nice waitresses. We also had the luxury to drink some of the best Sake ever!!!
All this, courtesy of Emma, the restaurant manager, who is the sweetest thing you could ever come across!

Needless to say, I’m planning to return (and pay the price it deserves) to this amazing place.

Do yourself a favour: go and check it out!

Japanese food is one of my favourites - fresh, healthy, tasty and varied. Having been to Japan and experienced the real deal, I am quite fussy and don’t compliment easily. Unless, they’re as good as Tsuru that is. Tsuru is the real deal. I could have been in Tokyo.

Tsuru presented beautiful seabass sashimi, light and flavoursome, platters of delicious sushi, one of my favourites - nasu dengaku, free range chicken yakitori and gorgeous moist brownies. Wash this all down with some fantastic sake and great company and what have you got? A wonderful evening.

I’ll be going back soon to try their free range chicken katsu curry and for more of that gorgeous sushi. I recommend that you try it too!

We ate lots of lovely, lovely sushi, but also drank lots of lovely lovely saki. Because I’ve just said “lovely lovely saki” is very unusual as usually I’m not wild about the stuff. I’ve only ever drunk it warm but at an event sponsored by Qype I learnt loads about the drink, and mainly that the really, really good stuff should be drunk cold, is smooth as silk and hugely alcoholic.

Watch yourself with the good stuff. After about three very small glasses, you think - “Hello I’ve only drunk three glasses and this stuff hardly tastes alcoholic - so why do I feel like dancing on the ceiling”. Trouble is the alcoholic content ranges from 14% to 19%.

You can also have some delightful rhubarb & ginger fizzy saki cocktails.

As other reviewers have said the food is extremely tasty - I really liked an aubergine dish that melted in the mouth and also looked amazing. Be warned with the wasabi though - it was certainly much fierier than I was used too and when I next visit I will use far far less of it.

Highly recommended if you are visiting Tate Modern or are in the Southwark / Waterloo area.

My list of yummy Japanese restaurants in London isn’t very long. So it’s nice to have just added Tsuru to it. I really enjoyed my meal there and will definitely go back. It’s good to know there’s a decent restaurant (of any sort) so close to Tate Modern.

Much like Chicken Tikka Masala has become a British take on Indian food, Tsuru taught me that the average Japanese take-out in this city only offers a populist tip of a way more delicious iceberg.

And though the sushi was beautiful to behold and absolutely delicious, it was the other, less obvious stuff that really dazzled me.

A particularly enthusiastic shout-out must go to the sake. Before Tsuru came into my life I didn’t even know I liked the stuff. The variety and pairing with the platters of delicate food has converted me. In fact, it’s left me wanting to know more.

Well done that place!

I’ve got to admit upfront that I love sushi. I love the texture. I love the taste. I love to fiddle with the chopsticks and get 80% of the food into my mouth. But Tsuru gave me even more enjoyment than usual.

The food is sooooooo fresh and delicious. And washing it down with amazing sake makes all the difference. As a fully paid-up member of the National Aubergine Appreciation Society, I’ve got to particularly recommend the Nasu Dengaku. And you would be a downright fool not to order their jaw-dropping sushi platter. Peculiarly, I would also urge you not to leave without trying their rather un-japanese chocolate brownie!?

Tsuru is a very welcome culinary addition to Southwark and - even although it’s slap-bang in the middle of a homogeneous retail zone - it’s up there with the best sushi I’ve ever had.

Until I eventually make my long-overdue pilgrimage to Japan, that is.

Really good Japanese restaurant tucked behind the Tate Modern. At first glance you might think it was the same as any other take-away sushi place, but once inside it becomes clear that this place takes a lot more care with what they’re producing.

They serve some dishes in a tapas/sharing style which meant I was able to try a few dishes. The edamame were nice, properly cooled (I prefer this) and with powdered chili. The seabass carpaccio was amazing. Although I’m normally not a fan of aubergine I really liked the nasu dengaku and ate it all (and pretty quickly). Free-range chicken yakitori was good, but their sushi platter was really stellar.

A sign above the cooking area indicated that they only make one curry sauce each day - taking over 8 hours to prepare it - so your katsu will depend on what they’ve made when you visit. That makes it clear they’re focusing on quality over quantity.

Definitely worth seeking out.

I know what you’re thinking: “oh another sushi place, just what we need”, but hang on there Mr Cynical Pants… not all sushi places are created equal and I definitely think Tsuru deserves a chance.

Nestled away in a not entirely inviting little retail complex next door the Tate Modern, Tsuru aims to hit a balance between the highstreet fast-sushi chains that have sprung up recently and the high end Nobu-esque restaurants that require a second mortgage just to pay the drinks bill.

So it looks more like a lunchtime takeaway spot than a restaurant , but they open in the evenings on Thursday and Fridays and the design of the place is a notch or two above your normal sandwich/coffee chain.

The proof is in the eating though, and I’m happy to report that the eating at Tsuru is pretty damn good. We sampled their sea bass carpaccio which was some of the freshest raw fish I’ve eaten inside the M25; the free-range chicken Yakitori was really tasty and had everyone craving more; and the sushi platter was just awesome, from the tuna to the absolutely gorgeous Hamachi (yellowtail with a tiny wedge of lime on top), to the veggie options - every one a winner.

If you work around Southwark then I envy you, you just got a great new lunchtime spot.