Restaurant Review: See Sushi (and thoughts on my school reunion)

*The following paragraph is in no way related to food*

A few weeks ago I went to my ten year school reunion. Even just writing that makes me feel old. I debated a lot about whether to go, as I was not, how shall I put this?, a particularly successful teenager.  My school, like I’m sure most others, had a very definite social hierarchy, and one that I was acutely aware of. For the best part of seven years I had a fringe that refused to grow out, train-tracks and glasses (I really didn’t stand a chance did I?), and often felt that everyone else had been handed a guide to growing-up, and mine had some how got lost in the post. I felt like I had no right to talk to the cool kids, and spent most of my time with my head down, feeling embarrassed for just existing.  I had a tendency to develop intense crushes on the popular boys, creating elaborate daydreams where they saw through the awkward blushes, feigned nonchalance (or so I hoped, looking back my affections were embarrassingly transparent), and fought for my love a la Pacey Witter. It obviously never happened. Yet I did manage to pluck up the courage to go to the reunion, and I was so pleased that I did. As while there were a few who seemed to hold on to the belief that our school hierarchy still held relevance today, one of these girls was wearing such a hideous dress and plastic white stilettos (seriously?) that any intimidation quickly melted away. I had longer conversations with some people over the course of one evening than I did in seven years, people I would never have spoken to, just because they were somehow deemed ‘cool’, and I, most definitely, was not. And those boys I had crushes on? One spent the evening lounging in his chair with one leg on the thigh of the other looking like a complete twat. It’s amazing what a difference ten years can make to your romantic inclinations.

Anyway there was one girl there, who I’ve known since I was three years old and hadn’t seen since we’d left school, who emailed afterwards to see if I fancied a proper catch up. I had an outstanding invitation to See Sushi to Paddington so invited her along.

*Actual review starts here*

See Sushi, Paddington

See Sushi is described as a ‘waterside restaurant’, but sadly the water they refer to is currently not in residence. The restaurant is on the Paddington Basin, which has been drained as part of the area’s development masterplan. It is a bit of an awkward location, but I think with all the new residential buildings going up the area will soon develop more of a sense of community. The restaurant itself manages to feel quite warm and cosy, an accomplishment given that most Japanese places I’ve visited have quite a clinical feel. The menu is overly long and confusing, and included some Thai and Malaysian influenced dishes that felt unnecessary and experience made me ignore. We asked for some help in choosing and the lovely waitress suggested we order three plates of sushi and sashimi, a few small hot dishes and, at my insistence, the black cod with miso.

We started with maguro carpaccio, thin slices of almost blue tuna that had seen only a whisper of heat on their sesame coated skins, and were served with a citrusy, ponzu sauce and a crisp salad of daikon and beetroot. We then had two plates of maki. The first, white tiger, was filled with juicy prawns cooked in a light tempura batter, cucumber and spring onions, and then wrapped in thin slivers of delicate seabass and topped with a precarious pile of glistening tobikko (fish roe). The second, spider, was made up of beautiful soft shell crab, creamy avocado, cucumber, carrot and spring onion. Both were drizzled in slightly sweet sauces that I couldn’t identify, and was, frankly, too busy enjoying to really bother trying. They were exceptionally good – super fresh and perfectly balanced.

Maguro carpaccio at See Sushi, Paddington

White tiger and spider maki at See Sushi, Paddington

The hot starter size dishes were sadly less successful. The vegetable gyoza wasn’t any better than those I have had at chains, and while the tori koraage (fried chicken with a sticky ginger sauce) was tasty, it wasn’t anything remarkable. However the black cod with miso was one of the best examples of this dish I have had. The slightly under-cooked fish flaked away in perfect shiny pieces, and was coated in a sticky, sweet yet umami sauce that was note perfect.

Black cod with miso at See Sushi, Paddington

We finished off with mint teas and a plate of gummy mochi balls filled with ice cream and sorbet. The mango one was particularly good, and the black sesame one, with its slightly aniseed taste, was unusual, but oddly satisfying once we had gotten over the contrast in texture between the chewy outer skin and the cold, creamy inside.

Mochi balls at See Sushi, Paddington

We had a lovely meal, and the staff were all exceptionally charming and welcoming. I would happily go back for their sushi and miso cod. If the restaurant was in Soho I can imagine it being packed every night. There is so much disappointing sushi in London (*cough* Itsu *cough*) that it was nice to be reminded how it should taste: Just. Like. This.

I was invited to See Sushi by Sarah Anne Lewis Trading PR . Many thanks to the restaurant for their generosity. Opinions, as ever, are my own.