REVIEWED BY DE GROOTS MEDIATo enter the restaurant you need to walk through a hanging Japanese picture-curtain. Inside the restaurant is divided into a tatami area (where you can take your shoes off and perch on your knees), a regular seating area, and a sushi bar a la “Kill Bill”. Small paper lanterns hang from the ceiling, and the staff behind the sushi counter are all dressed in kimono-style wraparound tops. Welcome to Iori, where they make such a fuss about being authentic that even the most seasoned sushi veteran will feel like a tourist.
The menu includes all the regular sushi and Japanese menu items one would expect, with a few surprises such as the Real Eel Meal Deal of eel roll, grilled eel and eel tempura with soy dipping sauce. There’s a lot of Wagyu on the menu, prepared the way it is meant to be cooked. Try the beef tataki, a sort of Japanese carpaccio with sauce. The wine list is where the restaurant really gets interesting, with a range of Japanese beers, sakes, premium sakes and “specialty” drinks. These include plum wine, Tsunami (like a Smirnoff Ice but with sake instead of vodka), and sho chu which is Japan’s other national alcoholic beverage. A fun night out with friends, but make sure you book first.
Sarah Theeboom, January 2007