There are many sushi bars in and around London now and the quality is highly variable. But there’s more to Japanese cuisine than just sushi, as Sen Nin demonstrates at its stylish new branch in Camden.

The Venue
Having made a great success of the first restaurant, Sen Nin has trained their sights on Camden Town. Pratt Street itself, off Camden High Street, has many bars and restaurants including the new branch of Sen Nin; it’s an area that’s now popular with media people and businesses.

The design of the restaurant in red, white and black is based around three large grill stations, with access for the chefs to each service point. These are the teppanyaki grills around which diners sit on three sides in groups from two to eight. The chef can, if necessary, cook for several groups at one time, as the hot plate grill is large enough to cope with more than one party at a time.

The Atmosphere
Much of the enjoyment of a teppanyaki meal comes from watching the actual cooking by the master chefs. It really is theatre and it includes the juggling of knives and other kitchen implements – if you have never seen an egg cracked in mid-air, now’s your chance, along with the occasional burst of flame licking around your eyebrows. The dexterity of the chefs is quite amazing as they chop meat, fish and vegetables for grilling and then pitch and toss the ingredients around the surface of the grill. It also looks incredibly healthy as all the produce is fresh and everything is cooked with the minutest amount of olive oil.

Cries of joy can be heard from the adjacent grills as the chef performs his latest culinary trick on the hot plate. This adds to the atmosphere of Sen Nin and this form of dining is very much something to enjoy as a member of a party, as everybody feels like they’re part of the action. This means it’s good for any sort of celebration as it tends to bring people together, all sharing a collective experience. The new Camden branch of Sen Nin seems to be busier during the week, even at lunchtime, when all the local media folk find it a good place for a cocktail and perhaps one of the express lunches (£6.95 and £8.95) designed to be quick and healthy for those in a hurry. There’s also a full sushi and sashimi menu including set meals from £14.95. The takeaway menu includes sushi boxes, sashimi boxes, seafood boxes, bento boxes, noodles, salads and party platters. But unless you’re intent on having a long lunch, a teppanyaki meal is perhaps something to experience in the evening when you can relax and enjoy it at your leisure.

The Food
The set menu teppanyaki meals are for two or more diners and there is a choice of several others priced at £19.95, £23.95, £26.95, £35.95 and £39.95 per person, depending on the individual ingredients. For instance, the first offers a choice of three items from salmon, sea bass, squid, duck, red snapper, tiger prawns, sirloin steak and chicken fillet. There’s also a seafood meal for two starting with tempura prawns and then a choice of four different fish dishes. The Deluxe menu for two offers one fresh lobster each plus a choice of two other ingredients including scallops, yellow fin tuna, lamb rack and fillet steak as well as many of the other ingredients listed above. Larger groups of three or more get a reduction.

All the set teppanyaki meals are served with delicious Japanese miso soup, plus grilled seasonal vegetables and rice. These you can enjoy while the main meal is being prepared in front of you. Starters of sushi (from £4.95) and sashimi are packed with the natural flavours of the tuna, the prawns, the salmon and the sea bass. Ebi tempura (£7.50) are deep-fried prawns in the thinnest of batters; served piping hot they are one of the most satisfying dishes, with the mixture of textures as the crunchy coating gives way to the juicy seafood beneath. Tori gyoza (£4.95) are delicious and the lightest of dumplings filled with minced chicken in a special sauce, proving that just a meal of appetisers here would be a great way to spend a whole evening.

The rice is the first item on the teppanyaki menu to be cooked by the chef. Like everything else it is grilled on the hot plate with chopped vegetables. It’s recommended to have egg added to it, so you can witness the mid-air breaking of the shell. The chef juggles with the eggs, throws one in the air and it comes down on his outstretched palate knife, cracking open with the contents falling neatly onto the grill, white first, followed by the yolk which is then combined with the rice. A round of applause is well deserved for this bravura performance. It continues with the cooking of the scallops, the fillet steak and the salmon, which are delivered as and when they are ready. The scallops have that great fresh taste of the sea, and the salmon is meaty and chunky and packed with flavour, a rarity these days when much salmon has little or no flavour at all. The fillet steak too is a revelation. Cubed and grilled to a medium rareness, it has a melting tenderness that must come with the cooking which takes it to the point of perfection.

The Drink
Sen Nin has a full range of cocktails (from £3.95) including some Japanese ones such as the Yokohama Sling, the Wasabi Punch and the Sake Margarita. The non-alcoholic cocktails include a very refreshing Japanese mojito of mixed fruit juices. Sake, the strong Japanese rice wine, is available in many styles and is served either warm or chilled. Japanese beers such as Kirin and Asahi are available as well as Tiger, Foster’s Ice and a non-alcoholic lager. Kirin makes a pleasant accompaniment to starters of sushi and sashimi.

Wine is priced from £14.95 a bottle and some wines are available by the glass. The house white wine, a 2007 Colombard vin de pays complements Japanese dishes well. It’s light, refreshing and easy to drink without overpowering the food. Other bottles include a 2007 white Rioja, a 2006 Australian Chardonnay, a 2007 Pinot Grigio and a 2007 New Zealand Sauvignon, while the reds offer a 2006 South African Cinsault/Cabernet, a 2006 Argentinean Malbec, a 2006 Chilean Merlot Reserva, and a 2005 Australian Shiraz. Roses and sparklers are also on the list.

The Last Word
For some of the best and most entertainingly prepared cuisine, teppanyaki cannot be beaten and it is particularly good at the new Camden branch of Sen Nin. With its chic signature colours of red and black and authentic Japanese artwork, the excellent but unassuming service, a spectacular range of dishes and a complementary drinks list, this is the real meal deal and it deserves full marks all round.

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