Londonist asks that most pressing of daily concerns: where to go on your lunch break.
Toku Restaurant (at the Japan Culture Centre)
212 Piccadilly W1J 9HG
Average Lunch Price: £10
Rating: 8 out of 10
Consistently ranked among the best Japanese restaurants in London (usually noted for its authenticity as in this ItchyLondon listing and this LondonTown.com review), bustling Toku is indeed a noteworthy Piccadilly Circus landmark to keep in mind. And it’s not just London’s web heads taking notice; Toku entices plenty of Japanese tourists and ex-pats too (It’s always a good sign when a particular ethnicity frequents a restaurant serving their home cuisine).
Actually, Toku reels in all sorts, given is winning mix of central location and delicious food. What hooks Londonist is Toku’s Charsiu Spicy Miso Ramen Set, consisting of egg noodles in a spicy miso-based soup topped with sliced barbeque pork and served with three crispy gyoza dumplings and rice. At £11.80 it’s slightly more expensive than most of Toku’s ‘set’ courses but well worth it, especially if hungry as the amount of food presented is sure to overwhelm.
Toku is located within the Japan Culture Centre, ‘your Japanese food, kitchenware, books, and magazine shop.’ If you can, save a little extra time (don’t worry service is super fast even at the busiest of times) to head downstairs and scope out the variety of Japanese sundries and maybe grab a fresh treat from its bakery.
Photography by Tiki Chris © 2007
