Zen Mondo

I am one of those ex-​New Yorkers who is constantly complaining about the lack of good sushi in London. Zen Mondo might be changing my opinion ever so slightly on this.
I had the chirashi which was topped to sashimi, slivered egg and avocado. Lovely slices and creamy textured fish atop rice that reminded me ever so slightly of Chinese nuo mi fan given the tiny diced rice and black mushrooms. Really delicious.
Also had a bit of salmon roll which was also decent although I would suggest sticking with the sashimi.
Friendly service!

Hmmm, must have caught them on an off day. Or they were tired serving a packed out restaurant — we arrived for the second round after nine …
Having been advised to wait for a few minutes while tables were becoming available, we were surprised to have the couple behind us shown to the first available spot. OK, they may have been regulars, but this didn’t exactly make us feel valued …
The menu provides a good mixture of hot dishes and sushi. We aimed for a selection of the latter, some dumplings (which turned out to be deep fried chicken pieces drenched in oil — should have gone for the gyoza) and a seaweed salad (mainly lettuce leaf, a lot of grated radish and just a small amount of seaweed).
Now, I’m not an expert on Japanese food and tend to favour Yo! for fear of being given something I don’t recognise, but the sushi here really did taste good — and I suppose the temperature is more authentic than what we have become accustomed to from trendy takeaways. Presentation was an absolute highlight, and the beautiful pottery is actually on sale too.
We had almost forgotten about the disappointing start when the bill arrived with 12.5% service added twice. No apology, just a shrug and the correct one produced immediately — honestly, it felt as if they had done it intentionally.

Amazing sushi and pretty quick service. Everyone quite friendly. Had a great night. Not cheap though.

Sushi is something I crave in waves. I can go months, even years without and then out of the blue, if I am near the right place I will jump right in.
My all time favourite is Bento Café in Camden, but now being an East London gal, it can be a bit of trek heading over there when I get the craving, hence me seeking other world cuisines to demolish.
Picture a weekday, grim, cold and a huge come down after holidays, Summer months etc etc and you have your cosy «date night» with one of your besties. Her company certainly brightens the mood and this partnered with some surprisingly good sushi lifted both our spirits.
Zen Monday is tiny, you can eat in or takeaway. Manoeuvring into your seat between the closely knit tables can be like something out of the Krypton Factor and it certainly encourages familiarity with your dining neighbours with «oops, there goes your drink on the floor», joking, but silently hoping it doesn’t happen.
At is an intimate and quite dark space, I didn’t want to be that girl constantly taking pics with flash, so I grabbed shots of what I could. Salmon madness was on the cards for Fitore with a platter of nigiri, maki, sashimi and cod roe. I opted for the spicy tuna maki and some salmon sashimi. It was fresh with the rice served at the perfect temperature (body temp) and the fish between 4 and 6 degrees. This ensures you enjoy the taste and texture more. The salmon in particular tasted creamy to me.
Zen Mondo is not cheap, because it is superior in its offering and authentic with a Japanese brigade. But as a healthy option when you searching for lunch or dinner on the upper street, this works.

I’m not sure I could put it any better than Freya below: in my 8 years of living in London, this is the best Japanese food that I’ve found. And that’s coming from an American, Pacific Northwest native, who’s used to the freshest sashimi that the Pacific can bring.
From the personal service to the outstanding, home-​cooked and authentic (which is key!) menu, Zen Mondo is definitely a hidden gem in the middle of Islington’s hectic and bustling Upper Street. The small, quiet interiors lends the restaurant a tranquil atmosphere, and the chef and owner of the restaurant recognizes us now and always comes over to say «hello», which is such a nice, personal touch.
In fact, I love Zen Mondo so much, I shunned the usual OTT establishments I love for my birthday last year and headed here instead … and did the same for our wedding anniversary — it’s that good.
The presentation of the dishes is beautiful, and I seriously think they’re undercharging customers for the quality fo the food. The ingredients are fresh and the recipes are light on the palette — nothing is overseasoned or too salty. I always feel as though I’m eating heathily when I leave Zen Mondo, rather than having over-​indulged.
Their seafood hotpots with bubbling soup and vermicelli rice noodles are divine on a cold day … the sushi platters are sublime whatever the season. The theatre menu is a steal: four courses for under £20 in London is just crazy!
At first, I was skeptical, having stumbled upon the restaurant by accident a year ago, but now it’s like a secret I’m too reluctant to share (though I’m telling you all about it here).

Baby loves a Japanese restaurant! This was my first visit to Zen Mondo and it was pretty decent, despite my raging hangover.
I was expecting a sushi selection but their lunch menus is more geared toward large bowl dishes like tempura, udon and hot dishes. The only sushi they have are hand rolls, which are not my favourite, so I went for a tempura bowl with rice, miso and pickles.
My friend made an epic choice of an udon bowl which comes with a handroll and a side of tempura. This is a pretty good deal at 9.95! I’d love to come back and try some of the other dishes. The sticky chicken looked amazing!
I found the staff a little slow at bringing drinks and water, but overall friendly enough.

We’re big fans of Japanese food and the lunch we just had here was amazing. Nice and simple, great quality ingredients expertly prepared, great price and lovely service. I had the tuna lovers lunch sushi special and really enjoyed it with the lovely side salad miso and complimentary tea. The slow cooked pork belly my boyfriend had was also lovely as I kept trying to steal it from his plate. We will be back.

Popped in here for a quick lunch and was pleasantly surprised! Lunch menu with noodles, a handroll and pot of tea at £10 is not cheap but good value for the quality.
Everything was yummy, the soba was nice and so was the handroll. I especially enjoyed the pot of houjicha tea that had a nice toasted rice flavour.
Would definitely come back to try other items on their lunch menu!

People don’t know that this is one of the best Japanese restaurants in London.
The food is exquisite and extremely flavourful with all the subtleties of authentic Japanese cuisine. MY, you will never want a hand roll from anywhere else after you’ve tucked into the most divine selection they have here. Unbelievable, I don’t know what they put in them, the wasabi mayo is melt-​in-​the-​mouth heaven.
I can recommend anything here, the udon/​soba dishes, the meat or fish hots pots, the tempura… the miso is delectable, BUT you must have the sushi. If you are a sushi or sashimi fanatic, you will not be disappointed. You cannot go wrong here. You will also know that good sushi doesn’t come cheap, and whilst not extortionate prices here at all, it is not itsu money.
On top of the taste award, Zen Mondo also wins with presentation. Every dish is so delicately crafted it is a pure art when delivered to your table. It’s like ikebana has been exercised on food. Incredible. I have dined here at least 10 times (I know so tardy in my reviewing!!) and every time I have been given a complementary mini starter, each time different, but nonetheless delicious.
This is a family run business and the owner works so hard, 7 days a week pouring all her love and attention into her beautiful business. She is a true artist, not only a top-​notch chef but she has created all the charming art works on the walls as well which make the whole dining experience here so calming and enjoyable.
They reward their regular customers generously, with vouchers for free Japanese teas, hand-​made stationery, condiments etc to be redeemed on your next visit. Last week was their one year anniversary and they gave all their customers (new and regular) gratuit bottles of homemade teriyaki, garlic and lime sauces.
All the staff are so polite and friendly, I cannot give the food any higher accolade, the interior is a true welcoming and relaxing haven from the Upper street bland-​land of estate agents (unfortunately the strip this little oasis is embedded within which might be why so many have not discovered how good this place is…). I’m going to put it out there and say this is my favourite restaurant.

Had a 4 course pre theatre meal (£15). Every course is beautifully made & taste delectable. Nice Bottle of red to wash it down. Portions weren’t too much so didn’t have that heavy ‘gonna go home’ bloated feeling. Had jazz in back ground too. Highly recommended

Solid three stars, which to me means, «If I’m in the area and craving Japanese food, I’ll go back.»
I headed to Zen Mondo for lunch after trying to think of an interesting lunch place that wouldn’t make me feel bad about myself afterward. I thoroughly enjoyed the «butakaku.» The tender pieces of braised pork belly had a layer of fat that I would have avoided if I was truly trying to be healthy, but it melted in the mouth so wonderfully that I couldn’t resist. The sweet teriyaki sauce was worlds apart from the thick cloying gloop that is often served. When paired with the karashi mustard sauce, there’s a great balance of sweet and hot. All of this was served with a salad of greens, a big bowl of rice, delicious miso soup and a cup of green tea for £8.50. It’s a lot of food, but you don’t leave the table feeling too full.
My husband had the sashimi lunch of three types of fish. I hate to use the same melt-​in-​your-​mouth phrase again, but that’s how he described the salmon… and continues to hours later.
Attentive service and fresh ingredients mean we’ll be back to try their dinner option. Maybe this time we’ll indulge in their homemade desserts.
Support our local, non-​chain Islington businesses! Get yourself to Zen Mondo!