Sanjugo Shoreditch

You'll find Sanjugo tucked down an industrial-style side street in Shoreditch. From the outside, it's a little unassuming, but head inside and you'll be met with counters displaying slabs of the finest grade-A sashimi, next to a bar lined with delicately decorated sake bottles. You'll feel as though you've stepped straight into Japan.

The staff are more than welcoming and the place is cosy. The chefs have an admirable number of years' worth of experience working in the sushi industry, with the head chef boasting the title of head chef at Sushisamba for over 20 years. When it comes to the food, prepare to be impressed. The chicken karaage is a firm favourite: succulent pieces of chicken deep-fried to perfection and served with a sweet but mild mayo for dipping and dunking. Don't leave without trying their pork and ginger donburi bowl though - if you happen to be in the area on a Thursday lunchtime, you can nab a bowl at their special lunch price. You can try some more adventurous Japanese dishes here too, like unagi don (grilled eel), and whatever you order will be displayed on the plate as though they're miniature works of art.

On Sundays, you can feast on melt-in-your-mouth Japanese wagyu steaks served with tangy daikon ponzu, a citrus-based sauce commonly served alongside many Japanese dishes. Wagyu beef comes from a breed of cow native to Japan, it's usually pricey but that's because it takes more than double the time to prime than the beef you see on London supermarket shelves. It's a real art, one that is beautifully reflected just by looking at its intricate marble-like exterior.

Alongside the impeccable food and service at Sanjungo, they also have a cosy whisky and sake bar upstairs with an eclectic menu of the finest Japanese tipples. Be sure to arrive hungry and thirsty.