The Hi Sushi brand expands with a new venue in the prime location of Covent Garden.

The Venue
Just off the main piazza on Catherine Street, Hi Sushi Izakaya is located in a narrow, three story building. The ground floor sees a few small tables along with a sushi bar, with a glistening selection of raw fish under a glass counter, plus a modern waterfall statue. A wooden staircase leads up to the first floor, where more tables and sunken seating (complete with little leather pillows) await. The curved wood tables are still a bit rough around the edges; though pretty, balancing a glass of wine on them is a bit precarious. Large windows criss-crossed with what looks like tree branches overlook the street below, whilst a square glass mezzanine amplifies the sounds of the waterfall from the ground floor.

The Atmosphere
Although most restaurants in the Hi Sushi chain aren’t known for much else other than sushi – you come in, you eat sushi, you leave – Hi Sushi Izakaya has a welcoming atmosphere and you’d be more than happy to linger over your food or even some cocktails. Service is quick and efficient, with staff all smiles from the moment you walk in the door. The location, though central, is just out of the way enough to escape the bulk of the tourist herd who have eyes for nothing but the Covent Garden piazza, so you can expect a lot of the area’s media workers to pay a visit or two.

The Food
A massive menu with nearly every kind of Japanese food in existence, this location dwarfs the others in the chain with just the quantity of things available. Prices vary hugely depending on what you order, and you could wind up spending just a few pounds for a few skewers or quite a bit more for a veritable sushi feast. Some things on offer are surprisingly cheap – their ramen and noodles, for example, are slightly less expensive than the wagamama around the corner. Choices range from grills, kushiyaki skewers, salads, tempura, bento boxes, noodles, soups to sushi – whether it’s traditional, simple sashimi or nigiri or one of their creative signature rolls.

Kushiyaki skewers (all priced at £2 or less) include sweetly glazed tiger prawns interspersed with slices of green pepper, plump shiitake mushrooms and a big block of tofu with a sweet miso glaze. From the list of specialty dishes, black cod with miso is a hefty, meaty portion – and at £17.50, it should be. It’s cooked well, so soft that it flakes apart when you touch it, and is covered in sweet – but not too sweet – miso. Wasabi prawns (£14.50) are deep fried and coated in a more-ishly creamy wasabi mayo. Don’t worry if you can’t handle the usual spice of wasabi though, as there’s only a slight kick to them.

Signature sushi rolls include the Salsa Roll (£7 for five pieces, £13.80 for eight pieces), a large roll stuffed with crispy fried crab and smooth avocado and coated in loads of sparkly black tobiko. The Hip Hop roll (£7 for five, £13.50 for eight) sees another combination of soft shell crab and avocado, this time topped with layers of lightly smoked salmon and zingy fried garlic pieces.

Their sashimi sets are good value for money at £30 for 21 pieces, £20 for 15 pieces and £12 for nine pieces. The Hi Sushi Deluxe includes seven kinds of sashimi displayed artfully on a square plate with mounds of ice and, of all things, a fish head and a piece of hollowed out bamboo. The sashimi is presented well – whether it’s curled around some seaweed or hiding underneath glistening orange salmon roe. From common choices like salmon and tuna to slightly more unusual ones like octopus and scallop, there’s plenty to share and despite its large size it isn’t overwhelming.

Desserts – thankfully after such a huge menu – only offer a few choices, including a light, creamy creme caramel swimming in honey-like passion fruit juice, and a choice of red bean, black sesame and green tea ice cream for £2.50. Although the green tea is appropriately delicate and slightly bitter, the sesame is the one to order with its unusual, almost peanut butter-like flavour.

The Drink
A good choice of wines and cocktails take up most of the drinks menu, with bottles from a more than reasonable £12.50 and glasses from £3. A bottle of Chablis (£29.50) is crisp but light enough to enhance the flavours of the various fish. Plum wine is on offer for £3.30 a glass and £22 a bottle, whilst sake ranges from £3.50 for 150ml to £78 for Akashi-Tai Genmai aged sake.

The Last Word
Hi Sushi raises its game with this new location, which offers good prices, interesting decor and, of course, loads of sushi.

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