Amid the busy City area, Japanese and Korean restaurant Blossom can deal with a packed out lunch as well as a leisurely evening meal. Full portions and friendly service make for a satisfying experience.

The Venue
Within the City Point complex of offices and bars, Blossom sits in well among surrounding modern eateries, with its glass facade and bright, no nonsense decor. There is no real bar to speak of; this is the kind of place you come to for food. The small room is full of long, school-like tables and benches, where people mingle with other groups.

The Atmosphere
The staff at Blossom are friendly and efficient, happy to come back numerous times before taking your order. The atmosphere is really quite relaxed and the staff soon tune into whether you are there for a quick bite or the long haul, equally accommodating for both. City workers should feel at home here, as should couples out for a romantic meal and friends grabbing a meal before they hit the town.

The Food
The Japanese and Korean mix works well. The food comes out all together, even if you order from the starter section of the menu and then from the mains, so order one bit at a time if you prefer the staggering that comes with a Western-style menu. Starters are all under £5, whilst bento boxes are between about £10 and £16 and the miso soup – a staple in any Japanese restaurant – is as cleansing as it should be, but is a little mean on the amount of tofu and seaweed included. Nevertheless, this cloudy and slightly sweet appetiser does its job and is handy to keep throughout the menu as an accompaniment. The chilli squid – ‘crispy fried with ponzu sauce’ – is not as hot in flavour as the menu suggests, and the only thing spicy about the baby squid chopped into rings and battered is the fresh red chilli slices garnishing them. But the taste combination of the clear, tart sauce, with tiny bits of citrus peel in it, and the crisp, yet chewy squid makes it still worth ordering.

The bibimbap dishes are probably the best value meal on the menu. Bibimbap is a Korean rice hot pot with vegetables and lots of chilli, and at Blossom you can choose from an array of types, from grilled chicken to queen scallop. The crispy fried tofu bibimbap is full of different textures, and nicely dominated by chilli. The piping-hot bowl of layered food – with a raw egg cracked on top – is brought to the table and then mixed up in front of you in a rather pleasing show. This dish comes with a miso soup and kimchi – a very spicy cold cabbage side – that may not be needed in this case.

The Bento Boxes are plentiful and filling and include the usual fare tucked in a box has four compartments with a middle panel for picked ginger and wasabi. The sashimi bento box has a generous serving of thickly sliced raw tuna, salmon and yellowtail, which is so fresh it melts in the mouth. It’s accompanied by a house salad of lettuce, sticky steamed rice and a more interesting sesame spinach that is rich in flavour and heavily seasoned.

The Drink
There is a selection of beers, soft drinks, sake and wine to pick from. The Pinot Grigio is very drinkable and complements the subtle textures and flavours of the Japanese food and cools the mouth after the Korean dishes. There is red and white wine on offer but no rose. You can eat and drink well here easily for £30 a head.

The Last Word
If you’re in the area, Blossom is definitely worth a try. The mix of Korean and Japanese food is a popular choice throughout London and certainly succeeds here.

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