Japanese-Latin American fusion is not a blindingly new concept, but it’s a concept that works. As a die-hard fan of Japanese food, I don’t necessarily need the Latin chillies, root veg and lashings of lime that crop up between mouthfuls of sushi at this type of restaurant, but getting a spectrum of flavours and textures in one place is always a perk.
The latest to jump on the sushi-meets-ceviche train is Nakanojo, a new Japanese-Peruvian hangout in Chelsea with a colourful, edible-flower-spangled menu of sushi, tacos, ceviche, and robata skewers. It’s calling itself a “nikkei izakaya” ‒ that is, merging the concept of nikkei cuisine (Peruvian ingredients shaped with the delicacy of Japanese chef techniques) and the izakaya, an informal Japanese watering hole similar to a tapas bar.
