Me and Nabs stepped into Taro - A Japanese noodle and sushi bar in Soho London, on a particular rainy and windy Sunday. Glad to get away from the oncoming rain. It just happened to be the Chinese New Year weekend and celebrations were running just in the next street in Chinatown, but as you know rather than joining in the upbeat drumming and following the lion as it went from shop to shop, me n Nabs will choose to eat anyday!
As I (Sammii) had previously eaten here before, I was dying to get my chopsticks around The Spider Roll again! We opted to order a range of sushi from the menu to share between us rather than the noodle and rice dishes the restaurant also had to offer.
Green Tea £1.50
Vegetable Gyoza £4.70
The Dumplings were mediocre, can't complain about them really, just what you expect from a vegetable dumpling, soy seasoning on the inside. Compared to the sushi we ordered, the dumplings were a stage prop to the main attraction.
Nabs "I definitely agree. I've eaten better dumplings at other restaurants so I won't be getting these again. They weren't bad, they tasted fresh but the sushi was the real star of the show here. Taro is all about the sushi so in my opinion when visiting this amazing restuarant don't waste any time, just order their sushi, you won't regret it!"
Spider Roll £7.90
Rolled 'Futomaki' sushi ('big roll') of soft shell crab.
Mayonnaise on top.
Sammii "I loooooove this dish so much! I went here two weeks ago and had the exact same dish. Today it certainly wowed me again! The tempura was crisp and the crab was soft but firm. I definitely will order this everytime I visit here!"
Nabs "I've not eaten crab before, it has been on my to eat list (I keep one in my head and am forever adding food to the list) so I was really excited to try crab. Today was the first time trying it and as Sammi had recommended the Spider Roll I couldn't wait to taste both the crab and the actual sushi roll! All in all I was not disappointed. The Spider Roll was amazing! The mayonnaise sauce (I love mayonnaise!) was an incredible edition to the sushi. I would never have thought the two (sushi and mayonnaise) would go together but they do, so well! I don't think this was normal mayonnaise though, more a garlic mayonnaise I think. Even better! In terms of my first attempt at eating crab I was very satisfied with the taste and will definitely be getting the Spider Roll again as well as eating crab again!"
[Left] Prawn Tenpura Roll £5.90
Nabs "I LOVE prawns, literally my favourite sushi alongside salmon so it was a no brainer that I was going to get a prawn sushi roll!"
[Right] Eel Avocado Roll £3.50
Nabs "I've not eaten Eel before either (I know I know, there is a lot of fish I still have to try). I must admit I was a little afraid at trying this one because Eel aren't the most attractive looking fish. They actually look pretty frightening so I didn't try this one straight away. However once I did, I ended up liking it though I told Sammi that the Eel was nice, a little chewy but she said it wasn't chewy so I don't know if I actually even tasted any Eel or just swallowed it without tasting it...hmm."
Wonder Roll £7.90
(Avocado, cucumber, salmon, crab stick, with mayonnaise)
Sammii "I didn't know that the tempura sushi roll existed! I have tried the sushi roll where the seaweed is on the outside and the california types where the rice is on the outside, but never knew about the tempura batter on the outside! I really loved this sushi roll too, the tempura really gave the sushi an added dimension. You could tell that it was freshly made as the sushi was warm when it was served. I also like the filling of the cooked salmon on the inside (as usually the salmon is raw)"
Nabs "This was definitely my favourite sushi roll, I loved it! The batter was so tasty and as Sammii said, it was very fresh! I could easily have eaten another portion of these. It's a week later since we went to Taro and I can honestly still taste this roll."
The other tempura style rolls on the menu is definitely something we would like to work through!
Nabs "Isn't this photo of all the sushi so beautiful! I want to go back and eat all of this again!"
Nabs "We were both still gushing over the amazing sushi we had eaten for hours afterwards, we just couldn't forget the taste! The atmosphere in the restaurant was really nice, it got busier towards the end but for the most part of our being there it wasn't too bad. The service was friendly and I really enjoyed myself. I'm talking like I was at a convention or something, not a restaurant but eating is an experience for me :) "
Atmosphere - 8/10
Service- 8/10
Food- 10/10
