Matsuri - St James

Matsuri is an inspired attempt to recreate the atmosphere of a Japanese festival, which just happens to be the meaning of its name. The interior is designed likewise with the taiko drum and the nebuta mask at the top of the staircase; the staff too follow suit with waitresses attired in brightly-coloured kimonos. Then there is the teppanyaki area where you can enjoy the sights and sounds of the whooshing teppan, and the sushi counter where chefs whip up those delightful mouthfuls in a few seconds.

Although the speciality here is teppanyaki and sushi, vegetarians are not entirely forgotten, the wakana, a set course menu specially designed for our veggie friends includes a seaweed salad, vegetable tempura and sushi. The kitchen exhibits keen willingness to explore hitherto uncharted territory, think Scottish fillet steak and foie gras teppanyaki and spicy tuna tartar exquisitely presented as tuna sashimi topped with fresh salad. The crunchy spider-maki prepared using dark shell crab demonstrates that elegant presentation is the underlying essence of Japanese cuisine.