Looking London, Tasting Nippon

Tel:

Meal for two:

ir Terence Conran is one of the world’s most exciting restaurateurs; the man behind famous London restaurants like Quaglino’s, Orrero and Bibendum. And it’s his design firm, Conran & Partners, that Priya Paul of Park Hotel brought in to redesign Zen, with the brief, apparently, of turning it into a "theatre of food". The place certainly has a dramatic look, all black, white and bronze, with an open kitchen and sushi bar as the focal point.

Zen is known for its Thai and Chinese food, but we decided to try their Japanese menu instead. We ordered the seafood bento: miso soup, followed by prawn tempura, sushi platter, salmon teriyaki and, curiously, prawn fried rice. The miso soup was excellent and the tempura was subtle and feather-light. But why did the teriyaki have a Chinese accent? And why prawn fried rice with a Japanese meal? Is it because they think that Japanese food is too alien for local palates? Next time, maybe we should stick to their Thai menu. Must-haves here are the soft-shelled crabs, which melt in your mouth, shell and all, and the delicate lemon-grass souffle.