Edamame

And so the wonderful variety of cuisines available in Oxford rolls on. Edamame is clearly popular, as the lines outside at lunchtime bear witness to, but it does seem to be one of those places that you either love or don't. The food is excellent but inexpensive Japanese home cooking and sushi, the real thing.

They rotate three quite different and relatively small menus through the week to ensure that ingredients and their preparation are as fresh as possible!

The location may be a bit cramped and the emphasis on the food rather than on fancy décor but what is wrong with that? My vote goes with those people queuing up to enjoy real value and genuine Japanese food. It is difficult pinning down an average cost per head, as they vary what they serve depending on the time and the day; Thursday dinner is sushi evening with the nigiri set costing a mere £8 for seven pieces.

Friday and Saturday dinner offers a wide selection of tapas-style options, with people typically choosing to spend up to £14 per head. Lunch is even cheaper, and certainly less than the £10 that I have allowed.

They do not take bookings, except if you want to book the whole place on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Sunday evenings, when they are not normally open, but they do insist on a minimum food spend of £400, the maximum numbers are 31. They take credit cards but only in the evenings when they ask for a minimum spend of £10 on each card transaction (no Amex or Diners Club).