Sushi Tetsu

Such is the popularity of tiny Clerkenwell restaurant, Sushi Tetsu, that reservations must be made exactly a month before, and even then, it is hard to score a table. The seven-seat locale is ran by husband and wife team, Harumi and Toru Takahashi, who have made it a tiny shrine to the best of Japanese sushi and sashimi.

The menu is divided into à la carte and omakase. Omakase is a Japanese phrase that literally means, 'I'll leave it up to you'; in the restaurant world, it means entrusting the chef. The omakase menu must be ordered at least one day and advance and is strictly per person. Diners might be treated to shimmering nigiri finished with a dab of soy, a sprinkling of sea salt or the lick of a flame from a blowtorch and then served on a glossy bamboo leaf. Each piece arrives individually to be eaten by hand. Their subtly smoky prawn nigiri are said to be utterly captivating. Sushi Tetsu is a treat worth being patient for.