Feng Sushi may be a poorly named restaurant in a fairly crowded market, but the food more than makes up for it – fresh fish and far more besides.

The Venue
This link in the Feng Sushi chain (there are six in total around the capital) is to be found slap bang in the middle of gastro-guzzlers’ heaven: Stoney Street alongside Borough Market. The restaurant, which is rather perversely shielded from the street by strips of plastic sheeting, is small and a little stark. Most diners eat at long, communal wooden tables but there are a few smaller tables closer to the entrance.

The Atmosphere
This is a casual sort of place, so while no one is standing on ceremony, it’s unlikely to get too rowdy either. Lunchtimes can be very busy, particularly towards the end of the week, when local office workers and those who have been shopping at the market fill the restaurant. Full or not, Feng Sushi has a relaxed atmosphere which can make for slightly slow service. No one seems overly bothered, though.

The Food
Feng Sushi boasts that, If our fish were any fresher, you would have to slap it. Putting aside the obvious questions (Why would you slap it? If you wanted to eat it, wouldn’t you smash its tiny little head against something hard – for example, a nearby rock?), the sushi is fresh and delicious.

The 12-fillet Chirashi-Zushi (which will set you back about £15.00 – Feng Sushi is decent value but they’re not giving it away) includes salmon, tuna, mackerel and salmon eggs plus a mound of thick, almost doughy, brown sushi rice. The star is the mackerel – it’s light, but oily and delicate and robust to the bite. The salmon eggs are good, too: when you bite into them, they burst, filling your mouth with a rich, salty gloop.

If the sushi and sashimi is good, then the tempura verges on excellent. Feng Sushi caters well to vegetarians, so alongside the classic prawn tempura (crisp, light batter around a sweet, juicy prawn), there’s a veggie selection, incorporating mushrooms, squash, beetroot, peppers, aubergine and courgette. The mushrooms are particularly worthy of comment – the moistness of the shitake works well with the light richness of the batter.

The menu is enormous: too big, some may say, although it does ensure that you can try something new every time you visit. The restaurant also does takeaway and deliveries.

The Drink
The size of the drinks menu is in inverse proportion to that of the food menu. There’s sake, a range of Japanese beers (Sapporo’s crisp, fresh, undemanding flavour is probably the best option to accompany sushi), juice, water and house white and red wines. The white wine is a perfectly decent, if not very exciting, Sauvignon Blanc.

The Last Word
Annoying name aside, Feng Sushi is an admirably unpretentious venue where the food is consistently good.

venue information venue map view london review user reviews (1)