Second helpings: more Japanese eateries worth a visit

Chef and co-owner, Shotaro Obana has created a little corner of Japan in a 19th-century farmhouse off the beaten track. As you do. Local salmon and eel from Lough Neah feature on the menu, along with traditional gyoza dumplings, chawan mushi (savoury egg custard), tempura prawns and zaru soba (cold buckwheat soba noodles). Sashimi lovers will need to book on weekends for the tuna and salmon sashimi specials.

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Review: Tsunami, Clapham, London

Ginger Tree 29 Ballyrobert Road, Newtownabbey, County Antrim, tel: 028 9084 8176

Chef and co-owner, Shotaro Obana has created a little corner of Japan in a 19th-century farmhouse off the beaten track. As you do. Local salmon and eel from Lough Neah feature on the menu, along with traditional gyoza dumplings, chawan mushi (savoury egg custard), tempura prawns and zaru soba (cold buckwheat soba noodles). Sashimi lovers will need to book on weekends for the tuna and salmon sashimi specials.

Ubon 34 Westferry Circus, London E14, tel: 020 7719 7800

When Nobu's Canary Wharf back-to-front sibling opened in November 2000, hopes were high for a poor man's Nobu. Sorry, but this is for venture capitalists and rich bitches only. The pearls before these swine take the form of superior deluxe sushi, the textural treat of a hand-rolled prawn tempura temaki cone, and Nobu/ Ubon's most famous dish, the black cod/doc with miso/osim.

Jin Kichi 73 Heath Street, London NW3, tel: 020 7794 6158

As noisy and cheerful as a neighbour's party, this cosy (OK, cramped) long-serving local eatery specialises in robatayaki, serving a variety of simple, char-grilled food accompanied by copious quantities of draught Kirin beer and sake served in traditional wooden cups. The grilled skewers (eg yakitori chicken) are the goer, although the sushi and sashimi also have a following in spite of the rather Hampsteadish prices.