Here's a restaurant review originally written for www.londonist.com. Follow Londonist on Twitter to keep up with their daily posts on all things London.
This new Georgian restaurant close to Notting Hill may have its roots in the Paleolithic era and serve what many believe to be the world’s oldest cuisine, but it keeps up with the times rather well, considering.
A polished chrome bar offers contemporary cocktails made with local spirits such as Sipsmith gin alongside Georgian wines from some of the earth’s oldest and most precious vines.
If uneasy pronunciation can be seen as a sign of authenticity, then Colchis’ menu is painstakingly historic, with the likes of mtsvadi and khachapuri available to tantalise the taste buds as they twist the tongue. The former will be familiar to you as shashlik kebabs, and these are particularly tender, juicy and well seasoned ones, with a hit of smoky charcoal from the grill upgrading the eating experience. Khachapuri could better be described as cheese stuffed bread, and isn’t a million miles away from that late night Anglo-Indian classic of cheesy naan. What’s not to like about that?
A new spot to sate those West End dumpling cravings. Go on, you know you have them. Admit it. This is a review originally written for Blue Tomato magazine.
Expectations
Mushu bills itself as a Japanese izakaya restaurant. This word is formed of the Japanese “i” meaning to sit and “sakaya” meaning sake shop – the result being a drinks bar where substantial food is also served. A little like Japanese Dim Sum, then. Or oriental tapas. Whatever we call it, it’s a concept which we wholeheartedly approve of, and one which would make a genuinely interesting addition to London’s dining scene.
Experience
Welcomed into Mushu at the hands of the owners, shown to our seats and chatted to, there’s a skill to making people feel quite so at home in such exotic environments, but Mushu have it down to a fine art. At first glance, the extensive menu littered with Japanese terms, could be intimidating, but the ability to order lots of small dishes takes the pressure off.
