I’ve been an avid follower of Londonelicious for probably a good year now for picking up tips for hidden food gems in and around London, especially as the author, Kristain, seems to spend most of her time in the same areas that I do and yet still finds places that I’ve never noticed.

Pham Sushi isn’t quite in an area I’d usually be, as it’s located fairly off the beaten path not far from Old Street, and barely anything else along the street is open in the evening. Don’t let that put you off though, as we found out the first time (and the second time tonight) that almost all of the tables are reserved all night long, and you’ll need to put on your best puppy dog face if you want them to squeeze you in.

Thankfully, despite failing to phone ahead and reserve a table, they found us a place, and we ordered as much of the menu as we thought we could fit in our stomachs without any of it going to waste:

• Sashimi and Sushi Special (6 chef’s special sushi, 4 nigiri, 3 sashimi)
• Agedashi Tofu
• Chicken Yakitori (Gary’s side)
• Tori Katsu (Gary’s main)
• Beef Wasu Steak

The sushi is probably some of the freshest tasting that I’ve had in London, which is pretty much exactly what Kristain’s review said. They’re not stingey with the wasabi or ginger either, they’re serious about giving you what you pay for, and it’s all really tasty.

I tried some of Gary’s yakitori, and his katsu (chop sticks are so great for stealing food without much effort), and they were both really flavoursome, with a nice thick sticky sauce for the katsu, and juicy meat for the yakitori.

As for my food, the agedashi tofu was amazing, I’ve become hooked on that constrast in textures between fried on the outside and squishy on the inside that you get with decent tofu, if you can find somewhere that actually serves it properly.

The beef wafu steak didn’t come until we’d eaten everything else, and I had no idea what wafu meant, but it arrived in sauce sizzling away so I just shut up and devoured it. Not only did I devour it, but I mopped up all of the sauce with whatever rice I had left. Turns out wafu just means “Japanese style”, it’s a sauce made with all the usual suspects, but it was bloody delicious, and for once the steak actually arrived rare, which hardly ever seems to happen in restaurants, even when you ask!

If you can find time to nip down to Old Street, it’s well worth trying out Pham Sushi, or if you’re lazy, they do take out too