Nourish your Eastern soul at Tamashii

A brand new bar and restaurant has opened in the heart of Kings Cross, and it is an absolute must visit for lovers of Pan Asian cuisine.  It’s called Tamashii, and I was fortunate enough to be invited to try a selection of dishes by the Love Pop Ups London community.

THE RESTAURANT

Tamashii is a Pan Asian restaurant that fuses together the best of Japanese, Chinese, and Thai food. Chef Wei is the man behind this creation, with over 35 years of experience of producing exquisite dishes to suit all palates.

The décor of the restaurant is incredibly stylish, with hanging neon lights, a long low lit bar, and quirky decorations such as long shelves of buckets! We were all intrigued about what could be in these buckets, but apparently they’re just for decoration!

Behind the restaurant lies Juku.  Juku is a stylish destination bar developed by the VOC London team which boasts a number of exquisite cocktails, as well as a wide selection of Japanese whiskies, sake, lagers, and wine.  The bar is open all day and has a capacity of 100, suiting all group sizes.

Japanese cuisine is all about precision, detail, and respecting the ingredients so as to be in harmony with nature.  This is reflected in the menu and most of the dishes are very healthy, as well as delicious! We were lucky enough to be provided with a huge array of these incredible starters and mains.

THE STARTERS

I have never been a huge fan of Asian starters, but I enjoyed them a lot more than I thought I would.  Here are some of my favourites:

Shichimi Chilled Squid

The squid was cooked to perfection with a slightly crunchy outer texture.  Flavour was added from the sprinkles of shichimi, and the coriander dipping sauce that accompanied it.

Kushiyaki Prawn Lollipop

I’m not a huge lover of prawns, but I loved the design of this quirky starter.  For those at the table who enjoy prawns, these sure didn’t disappoint.  They have been grilled and marinated in chilli and lime, providing a sweet yet spicy flavour.

Fried Gyoza

I had no idea what a gyoza was, but I decided to be brave and give them a try.  I am so glad I did as this was my favourite starter on the menu.  These sweet dumplings had a vegetable filling making them crisp, soft, and filled with goodness!

Spring Rolls (V)

Despite the fact that I order Chinese on an almost-weekly basis, I have never experienced Spring Rolls!  I decided to take the plunge and finally try them and was pleasantly surprised.  The rolls had a crispy outer layer and a good mix of vegetables making up the filling.

Pan Fried Aubergine

This was another favourite of mine.  Chunks of aubergine stuffed with seafood, drenched in a black bean sauce, meant the dish was rich in flavour.  The black bean sauce also went well with the steamed rice we were given as a side.

Edamame (V)

These steamed edamame beans were served with chili garlic salt, for a simple, traditional snack.

THE MAINS

The mains were divine – I definitely preferred them to the starters.  There was a lot more variety and it suited my palette a lot more.  Here are some of my favourites!

Crispy Aromatic Duck

Duck has never been something I enjoyed, I always felt that the fatty texture was quite slimy, however my mind was changed at Tamashii.  The duck was crispy and succulent and sat on top of a bed of ramen noodles, but also came alongside pancakes, cucumber, and spring onions for those wanting a conventional wrap.

Pad Thai Salad

I love Pad Thai! This one was a prawn Pad Thai, so I avoided the prawns but enjoyed the array of vegetables and fresh salad.  It was a classic but very tasty dish.

Barbecue Beef Spare Ribs

This was the dish of the night for me.  I wish I didn’t have to share it! The beef was chunky, yet incredibly tender, literally falling off the bone, and was saturated in a juicy barbeque sauce which enhanced the flavour.  Amazing!

Lobster Noodles

I’ve only ever had Lobster twice.  Once in Belize when I was travelling through Central America, which was delicious, the next in a Burger and Lobster branch which I found disappointing. I would put this dish in the middle of my two experiences.  Of course it wasn’t going to compare to the soft fresh Belize lobster, but it was soft and not chewy which was a good thing! It came on a bed of noodles that were mixed with ginger and spring onions, meaning there was more to the dish than just the lobster itself.  Prepare to get your hands dirty though, as this requires you to crack open the lobster yourself.

Yaki Soba

This was another favourite of mine.  The noodles contained chicken, peppers, white onions, spring onions, fried shallots and a garnish of ginger! The flavours worked well together and makes for a safe dish for those not keen on Asian food.

Mochi Ice Cream

Finally, for dessert, we had little balls of Mochi Ice Cream.  This is a traditional dessert in Japan and is made from a soft sticky rice dumpling that is infilled with ice cream.  I wasn’t keen on the shell (dumpling part), so ended up just squeezing all of the ice cream out and having that instead! Others around the table seemed to love the mochi part so it is definitely worth trying. 

Thank you so much to LovePopUps and Tamashii for having me.  I was absolutely stuffed by the end! I would definitely recommend Tamashii for those who love Pan Asian food.  There is so much variety, the location is very central, and the service is great.

For more info, you can check out their website here: Tamashii London

 

Disclaimer
*  I received complimentary tickets to review this experience .  Views are my own.