Stoke Newington Church Street is hardly starved (if you'll forgive the pun) of places to eat. Along the first 400 metre stretch extending west from Stoke Newington Road you'll find all manner of cuisine waiting to tickle your fancy, from Mexican to Indian and back again. But until relatively recently, one craze had passed north-east London's cutest quarter by - we're talking sushi, and the art of Japanese cooking.
Well, north Londoners need worry no more. The proprietors of legendary local Thai restaurant Yum Yum (just around the corner) noticed the gap in the market and opened Oishii to fill it. And we felt compelled to whip out our chopsticks and put this newcomer to the test.
The first thing to note is that Oishii is not one of those sniffy, superior places that see sushi as the preserve of a tiny, well-to-do elite. The welcome we received was as warm as they come, and the atmosphere in the eatery was one of chatty, cheerful fun - entirely in keeping with the buzz of the area on the doorstep. We went on a Saturday night, and the restaurant was fairly packed with diners of all ages and appearances - young professionals swapping stories in one corner, a girls' night out laughing in another and, at the next table, two young bohemian types meeting their equally artsy parents.
The service was attentive and efficient from the start, the staff all smiles and happy to recommend dishes to two diners in search of fresh flavours. My companion chose miso soup, vegetable tempura and avocado maki to start, while I chose mixed yakitori - skewers of squid, prawn with vegetables and veggie gyoza (these I highly recommend). The miso soup was a delicious appetiser and the tempura a revelation - as crispy and flavoursome as we'd hoped, but lighter and fresher than we'd ever had had before. The avocado maki were a hit with my partner, while the yakitori had a terrific bite thanks to the delicate dipping sauce. Pick of the menu would be the crunchy tuna rolls, which our waiter brought out for us to try – a moreish combination of textures – soft but crunchy and drawing out all the freshness of the ingredients.
Mains came in the form of a salmon bento box (for me) containing sticky rice, a slab of salmon, edamame beans and ginger, and a kitsune udon (beancurd noodle) broth for my veggie friend. All too often, Japanese food can be under-prepared, over-chilled or tasteless, but these mains were full of rich flavours and served in substantial portions. What's more, the menu is large and diverse, including a truly wide range of sushi, bento boxes and Japanese specialties like teriyaki grills. The happy atmosphere might be at least partly explained by the thoughtful presence on the menu of several exciting sharing platters, offering very good value for groups - or else by the amazing warm sake aperitifs and fine selection of Japanese wines and beer. We were spoiled for choice at the beginning of our meal, and pleasantly full by the end. (It's only fair to note that we couldn't help plumping for dessert, too - a mouthwatering mix of red bean and green tea ice creams.)
By evening's end, we were perfectly and happily sated. Japanese food is refreshingly light but filling. The restaurant's laid-back decor, relaxed ambiance and amazing food served to make for a Saturday night out that was at once informal in feel and impeccable in flavour. No wonder it's already proven a hit with the notoriously choosy locals, who by all accounts take advantage of Oishii's diverse offerings as much by day as they do by night. My friend and I wandered off together rhapsodising about the freshness and healthiness of the meal we'd just eaten - even for a cuisine as fashionable as Japanese, there's no greater testimonial than that.
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