The Skinny Sumo
After visiting an exhibition opening at the Angel Row Gallery, we went out to find something to eat and having an urge for something Japanese, headed for Geisha in Broadway.
Geisha was spookily empty and so dark that I could have done with a torch to find a seat. We asked to see a menu but were handed a list of expensive cocktails instead. When the menu did finally arrive, it was uninspiring and overpriced and we decided to leave and try our luck elsewhere.
Bluu, next door, was full (on a Tuesday?) and could not accommodate us which at least spared this blog from further tedious repetition and we finally found seats at the bar in The Skinny Sumo. I think this restaurant is owned by the people behind The Pretty Orchid, once a fine Thai restaurant but now in complacent decline. It used to be a conveyor belt sushi bar but was losing money and recently converted to Teppanyaki style where the chef cooks stuff up on a hot plate in front of you. Note to self, I must try Ginza on Mansfield Road again which was the first Teppanyaki restaurant in Nottingham and which used to be excellent.
In contrast to Geisha, The Skinny Sumo is like a small, brilliantly lit canteen and the staff appear to be authentically Japanese though what do I know? They're probably from Bulwell.
I tried the "Tokyo" set meal for £15 which consisted of Miso soup, a seaweed salad with a small platter of sushi and a sirloin steak with egg-fried rice and vegetable stir-fry. The food was no-frills, formulaic but competent and obviously freshly prepared since most of it was produced in front of us by a laid-back Japanese chef. The sauces tended towards the MSG-rich sweetness of Chinese food without the invigorating sharpness I associate with Japanese. However, my steak (ordered rare) was cooked absolutely to perfection, something which is distressingly uncommon in Nottingham where even a steak ordered blue is liable to come burnt to a crisp.
It was a good, filling meal and the place was lively for a Tuesday. On the whole I'd say it represents good value though Wagamamma is probably giving them a hard time these days. They forgot our lemon sorbets but soon produced them when reminded and no service charge was added to the bill for four of us. The total came to £87, including 2 bottles of wine, 2 set meals and a couple of a-la-carte dishes including a massive plate of sushi and sashimi.
Geisha was spookily empty and so dark that I could have done with a torch to find a seat. We asked to see a menu but were handed a list of expensive cocktails instead. When the menu did finally arrive, it was uninspiring and overpriced and we decided to leave and try our luck elsewhere.
Bluu, next door, was full (on a Tuesday?) and could not accommodate us which at least spared this blog from further tedious repetition and we finally found seats at the bar in The Skinny Sumo. I think this restaurant is owned by the people behind The Pretty Orchid, once a fine Thai restaurant but now in complacent decline. It used to be a conveyor belt sushi bar but was losing money and recently converted to Teppanyaki style where the chef cooks stuff up on a hot plate in front of you. Note to self, I must try Ginza on Mansfield Road again which was the first Teppanyaki restaurant in Nottingham and which used to be excellent.
In contrast to Geisha, The Skinny Sumo is like a small, brilliantly lit canteen and the staff appear to be authentically Japanese though what do I know? They're probably from Bulwell.
I tried the "Tokyo" set meal for £15 which consisted of Miso soup, a seaweed salad with a small platter of sushi and a sirloin steak with egg-fried rice and vegetable stir-fry. The food was no-frills, formulaic but competent and obviously freshly prepared since most of it was produced in front of us by a laid-back Japanese chef. The sauces tended towards the MSG-rich sweetness of Chinese food without the invigorating sharpness I associate with Japanese. However, my steak (ordered rare) was cooked absolutely to perfection, something which is distressingly uncommon in Nottingham where even a steak ordered blue is liable to come burnt to a crisp.
It was a good, filling meal and the place was lively for a Tuesday. On the whole I'd say it represents good value though Wagamamma is probably giving them a hard time these days. They forgot our lemon sorbets but soon produced them when reminded and no service charge was added to the bill for four of us. The total came to £87, including 2 bottles of wine, 2 set meals and a couple of a-la-carte dishes including a massive plate of sushi and sashimi.
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