kiraku, london w5

i’m not an expert on japanese food by any stretch of the imagination but when it comes to recognising fresh, high quality, delicious food i can do that. and kiraku, a japanese restaurant that sits opposite ealing common tube station, provides exactly that.

the menus at kiraku – one with words and one with photos – are comprehensive but if you are unsure what to choose the friendly staff are more than happy to help with suggestions.

we over-ordered but, apart from the unexciting warm buckwheat noodles which arrived as we’d finished everything else (and were hoping it had been forgotten) there was nothing that i would have been willing to give back, in return for feeling slightly less full when i left.

the stars of the show were the soft shell crab special rolls. four large maki (also called roll sushi, this is where the fish - or other filling - is surrounded by rice and wrapped in seaweed) were provided, two filled with the body of the crab and two with tantalisingly tasty crunchy crab legs peeking out. the other maki we ordered – tuna, salmon, toro, california and prawn with roe – were all excellent and sparklingly fresh.

accompanying this we had perfect, and obviously freshly cooked, mixed tempura (3 large prawns, some cod and several vegetables), grilled prawn skewers (two enormous flavoursome prawns which both looked and tasted delicious) and light and fluffy agedashi tofu.

i’m not a beer fan and wished i’d not bothered with the house white wine. the plum wine, on the otherhand, arrived complete with plum and tasted great.

if you’re interested in having good japanese food – go to kiraku. and if you’re not, you should still go! just make sure you book ahead as it was very busy. our feast came to just under £25 a head.

kiraku

8 station parade, ealing common, uxbridge road, london w5 3ld

tel: 0871 426 8446