Kuriya Keiko - Islington

I learnt to make sushi for the first time and lived to tell you how it all went down! I was meeting my “peeps” at Zomato for the Zomato Meetup along with other eager foodies like myself. Such an evening is never short of entertainment! Food, talking about food, going into a food coma, eating and some more eating…you know the drill.Japan holds a special place in my heart. Having traveled there when I was a teenager, I camped and hiked through the most beautiful locations there. I completely fell in love with the people, culture and their food (even though it was a bit hit and miss for me at first)Entering this lovely Japanese establishment and meeting their lovely staff reminded me of the fantastic time I had. We were welcomed by Urakawa Keiko who is the owner and instructor at Kuriya Keiko. We were given an enthusiastic introduction, what we had gotten ourselves into :D and told to make our way to the stations. What unfolded from there onwards can only be expressed in photos! Each one of us had our own station which had everything neatly laid out for us.Keiko showed us how to work with the sushi rice…this was going to be fun! Never thought I’d be able to conquer the sushi rice…it’s sticky as hell!I made my very first sushi roll- I was quite proud of myself.And then came the California roll…WHO AM I?!There is a technique to cutting the sushi roll perfectly and Keiko showed us how…for that you’ll just have to attend one of her classes! br br I couldn’t wait to sit down and eat after so sneakily ate a few of the the sushi pieces. Obviously everyone saw what a pig I am… #sorrynotsorry)I LOVE gyozas. They are perfectly bite sized and I can down a dozen of them in one sitting. So to learn how to make them was a dangerous prospect for me. I would never leave my kitchen!Keiko showed us exactly how to make a perfectly wrapped gyoza and the grilling technique to get it just right.We took our masterpieces back to our table and we were also treated to some of the restaurant’s signature dishes like the baskets of crumbed tofu. I’m not a massive tofu fan but the way this dish was made and the sauce that was drizzled over the crumbed tofu made it hard for me to resist. We also sampled the teriyaki chicken and salmon. The salmon literally melted in my mouth.One dish I am glad I had space for was the Azuki Bean Cigar with Vanilla Ice Cream. Normally, I’d rather fill myself up with savoury than sweet. The texture of the filo pastry filled with the azuki bean mixture and the ice cream with fresh raspberries was out of this world. It was an explosion of flavours in my mouth. I will be honest, when it was placed in front of me I wasn’t so sure, as I’m not a fan of fruity desserts but one spoon of that and I was hooked! All in all, a fantastic experience and evening organised by Zomato. I came away not only as a sushi expert (verification of this claim not needed but some amazing friends too! You guys can also organise something similar for your friends, family or even something as a team activity with your work friends!

To say that I mastered' sushi-making in the course of a single evening would be a lie, but I can say that I've tentatively taken steps towards learning how to assemble sushi back in the comfort of my own home. . Plus, my master status is marred by the fact that I got home and spotted rice in my hair after an hour-long tube ride with said rice in my hair. Smooth.

This restaurant offers excellent freshly prepared food, a friendly atmosphere, and a wide selection of beers to choose from. I give it 5 stars.

I learned to make sushi for the first time and lived to tell them how everything went! I met my “peeps” at zomato for the zomato meetup along with 12 other eager foods like me. such an evening is never less entertaining! eating, talking about eating, going into a food skoma, eating and eating some more. they know that the drill japan has a special place in my heart. After traveling there when I was a teenager, I lay and wandered through the most beautiful place there. I completely fell in love with the people, culture and their food (even if it hit a bit and miss for me first in this beautiful Japanese institution and meet their beautiful employees...read more

Do you remember your first time trying sushi? I do. I was a little nervous, my hands were a bit shaky, and I wasn't sure if I was rolling it correctly. But to my surprise, my first attempt at making sushi was successful. It may not have been perfect, but it was a memorable experience that I look back on fondly. It's a far cry from the usual embarrassing first time stories, like falling while ice skating or eating raw fish for the first time.