Smart restauranteurs always know there is more to opening an eatery than just the food. In an age where those simple moments where you’re able to breathe and (gasp) relax are coveted, the atmosphere of where you do the most sacred of daily tasks – eat, is so important.  Japanese restaurant Akari,located in the London borough of Islington, is the type of place where you can breathe.

Its inconspicuous location, low lighting and friendly wait staff make you feel like you’re a world away from the hustle and bustle of the city outside.

When you walk into Akari, the first thing you notice are their homey, rustic wooden tables and how the patrons at them are completely involved in their own conversations enough to not even look up when the servers put food down. I told you this place is relaxing – filled with enough talk to mask the sound of silence, but not enough to mask the talk at your own table.

When we arrived, it looked like most of the tables had been reserved for different parties. We inquired if they had room, and they graciously opened up a reserved table for us, as the other party wasn’t expected until about two hours later.

After the staple order of edamame and two glasses of pomegranate tea, which I have to say, was so delicious, it was time for some food.

Cue in the vegetable rolls and deliciously warm Udon buckwheat noodle soup. As you can (kind of) see below through the lens of my iPhone camera, the rolls are put together so delicately. The seaweed was so fresh and soft and the shape of the roll made it perfect for dipping into some soy sauce. The soup came with its own little saucer full of spices that you could mix in the bowl to your heart’s content. At first, I didn’t mix it well enough, so I got a mouthful of spices that needed to be washed down IMMEDIATELY before I choked.

After the Udon completely warmed our souls, it was time for dessert.

I wish I could remember the name of this heavenly concoction above, but it slips my mind. It was like a sticky soy pudding, with a delicious glaze on top. I have to admit that I couldn’t finish this dessert, which is a rare occurrence for the likes of me, but it got a little too rich by the end.

We capped off the night with some traditional green tea. If you noticed a difference between this last photo and the ones before, it’s because we were so involved in the ambiance of the place, that we didn’t even remember that we had an actual camera with us until the very end. Akari restaurant gets high marks on all fronts: it is a charming, authentic Japanese restaurant with great food, good service and an atmosphere that’s missing from a lot of restaurants. By the time you get up to go home, you’ll realize you’ve spent about two to three hours there. You probably will be well-fed and happy enough to not care.

Price: Quite reasonable. Except to pay around £25-30, obviously more if you decide to indulge in the extensive drink menu.

Interesting tidbit: Akari’s location was formerly occupied by a pub named Three Brewers.

Akari Restaurant
196 Essex Rd
London, N1 8LZ, United Kingdom
+44 20 72269943