shiro

Having recently opened in the heart of the City of London in bustling Broadgate Circle, Shiro, which offers a contemporary Japanese dining experience, is the Aqua Restaurant Group’s fifth restaurant in the capital and this recently redeveloped two-floor establishment features a sushi counter, a robata counter and an outdoor terrace. The London opening follows on from Shiro’s success in Hong Kong where it gained immense popularity and made a name for itself with its much – loved Crystal Sushi. Inspired by the buzzing dining culture of Tokyo’s Ginza, Shiro offers unique dishes brought to London from its home in Hong Kong.

Featuring sophisticated white interiors, the restaurant offers a clean and inviting space reflective of Shiro’s ‘white’ namesake in Japanese. Heavily inspired by both the Japanese appreciation of nature and the precision of craft, a neutral colour palette with wasabi-inspired sage green hues has been paired with precision lighting and varying textures within a monochromatic scheme.

Invented by Shiro over half a decade ago, Crystal Sushi is a signature item which features layers of elegantly infused jelly, delicately laid on top of each sushi piece. Intensely flavoured with the correct balance of mirin, sake and soy, Crystal Sushi has been lovingly prepared to enjoy in one bite - with no need to dip. Unusual flavour combinations have been thoughtfully chosen to enhance the ingredients, including scallop and caviar with kimchi; botan ebi and avocado with rose; and salmon with mint and sake.

Hero dishes such as Edomae Sushi are served instead of the more common nigiri sushi. Originating in Edo (now known as Tokyo), this style of sushi involves carefully sourced seafood being cut longer to drape on top of the rice almost touching the plate. Shiro is one of the few restaurants in the UK where you can experience true Edomae style sushi such as akami tuna, seabass, and aburi (charcoal seared) salmon, to name a few.

Shiro also offers dishes steeped in tradition, including Ramen available on the à la carte and lunch menu. The chicken and pork ramen have a special place in Shiro’s Executive Chef Iwahashi’s heart; at eight years old he started learning the family’s ramen recipe in his father’s tiny but always crowded restaurant. That