PROFILE BY BEST RESTAURANTS
Pumping out live jazz music every night (from Tuesday to Saturday), Jazushi is not your typical Japanese restaurant. Although the menu boasts a fair few seemingly-token Japanese dishes like sushi, sashimi and Wagyu beef (as well as an incredible serving of gyoza), the food has very clearly been influenced by European cuisine. As a result, glorious and intensely-flavoured teriyaki chicken comes with a side of roast potato and fresh vegetables, and the signature "JFC" – a Jazushi speciality of fried chicken – is beautifully stacked on a bed of home-made tartar and served with yuzu citrus sauce. The beverage list, too, sides Japanese favourites like sake and sweet choya plum wine with a selection of local and international reds and whites, and its Asahi or Kirin beer alongside the likes of Beck's, Heineken and Stella Artois.
The European touch is also reflected in the restaurant's design. Downstairs, raw brick walls are softened by the glow of red oval lamps, jazz-themed paintings, chocolate seating, an elegant piano and the velvety sounds of a constantly changing programme of local jazz acts. Upstairs, the mood remains relaxed and stylish, but approaches the jazzy atmosphere from different angles. The rooftop area is intimately encircled by bamboo and endowed in potted greenery and colourful lanterns, while the mid-floor function area shows a chic and bare charm. And it is this atmosphere that makes you tap your foot as you dig into a creamy creme brulee and wonder why nobody has ever thought to combine Japanese with jazz before.
Agnes Gajewska