By Kate Antoni
Blast from the Past…
About ten (plus) years ago when I used to enjoy early morning city running and kale sales, I was lucky enough to live in Fitzrovia. Before it had a name or fancy restaurants and was a strange no man’s land. The little I earned was spent on big ripe juicy mangos and the greenest avocados I can ever remember. Simple things made me so happy. Like pooling the coins in my jar and trundling off to a coffee shop in soho. It was exhilarating to have the world at my fingertips. Thrilling to be heading to China Town at times when only the vendors were there. I enjoyed finding all sorts of delights that I had never even seen before; Fresh jackfruit which I could only afford on pay day, gai choi and bok choi, velvety kabocha squash, moon cake, mochi.
During this period I didn’t really go out for many expensive dinners, unless mum was treating me! I always craved sushi but found that options were very limited. Roka was a stones throw away but very pricey. Wasabi and Japanese Kitchen were very informal and closed early. What Fitzrovia needed was a casual fine dining spot with great quality at reasonable prices. This never happened when I was a resident but, finally, it has come into fruition.
Sushi Fabrique
Sushi Fabrique is an eat in and take out restaurant located on Tottenham Court Road. Its glass structure offers views onto the bustling streets and plenty of natural sunlight. There are a myriad of options to chose from including: soups and ramen, sushi, sashimi, rice, noodles and tataki and tempura.
What we ate
We arrived on a Friday night to an empty restaurant (COVID times are sad for London’s restaurant business), sat at a booth in the back and started with edamame tempura which I had never tried before. These little nuggets of joy are are an unmissable snack game changers. This was topped off by fried duck gyoza, followed by the 26 piece party sushi set which included: canada roll, california roll, philadelphia roll, salmon maki, avocado maki, tuna nigiri, salmon nigiri, smoked eel nigiri.
We were also treated to the additional emperor roll, dragon roll, crunchy eel roll and kunsei deluxe roll. My favourites of these additions were the kunsei deluxe which comprised of smoked salmon, red caviar, cucumber and philadelphia cheese wrapped in rice and nori then topped with sesame and the crunchy eel roll. I love eel and I especially love eel combined with crunchy tempura flakes. We ended the evening with an ice cream mochi selection but would love to return and try the other desserts; the tropic roll is at the top of my list!
This new concept restaurant is such a great idea and offers premium food at competitive prices with an innovative and exciting menu. It will become a staple of my weekly routine I’m sure.
https://sushifabrique.co.uk/ 106 Tottenham Court Rd, Bloomsbury, London W1T 4TT
