Excellent sushi restaurants are not difficult to find in London however the majority of them are closed on Sunday. So what do you do when you’re meeting up with friends who are only in London on Sunday and you’re all keen to eat sushi? As we wanted to get some high quality nigiri, we decided to head to Cocoro London in Marylebone as I remembered their sashimi was excellent.
If you would like to know what we ate on our first visit, please check out this earlier article which also covers the restaurant’s interior design and atmosphere.
What sushi did we order?
On this visit, sushi was our main focus. We picked the Chef’s special assorted nigiri which includes 8 “fish of the day” nigiri and 6 salmon rolls. The nigiri on this day included Otoro, Chutoro, Prawn, Surf Clam, Scallop, Yellowtail, Salmon, and Sea Bream. As you can see in the photo above, the Chef’s special was beautifully presented along a long wooden board.
After taking a few more photos, we started the hard task of choosing which nigiri to eat. For example did we want to begin with the yellowtail or prawn nigiri? Similarly, who was going to eat the Chutoro or Otoro later on? Both of these were delicious and did melt in the mouth. However, we also enjoyed the delicate taste of the Surf Clam and the mild sweet flavour of the Sea Bream.
Cocoro prepare their sushi the authentic way which means using fresh seafood and serving their rice at room temperature. We were so happy with the sea bream and rich yellowtail we decided to get some more. We also added salmon roe nigiri and Negitoro (Tuna rolls) to the order as well.
Eel and cucumber rolls
Apart from the above nigiri sushi and maki rolls, we went for something that might be considered adventurous: Eel and Cucumber rolls. The rich and bold taste of the eel and the sweet sauce combines well with the cruchy texture of the cucumber. You can really enjoy these rolls with the fluffy sushi rice and sesame on the outside. It’s also a great way to try out if you like eel which come in smaller bitesize pieces in these rolls compared to Eel nigiri.
Other side dishes
We liked the Kaiso (Seaweed) Salad with its mixed seaweed and greens. The soy vinaigrette dressing worked well with the greens and if you are a seaweed fan, this is the salad for you. However, we felt the Nasu Dengaku (grilled Aubergine in sweet miso paste), wasn’t as rich in taste as it could have been. The Hiyayakko (chilled tofu) dish on the other hand looked and tasted amazing. The traditional sliced green onion and ginger topping on the silky tofu was perfect. We also liked the miso topping with a slightly spicy flavour.
Cocoro Rating for Sushi
This was the second time we’ve visted Cocoro. On both occasions, the service was excellent and the food authentic. We’d give Cocoro 4.8 stars out of 5 for this visit and their superb sushi selection. If you’re looking for sushi on a Sunday in London, this is certainly our tried and tested restaurant. Also, although we booked there was no queue outside on the day we went. It’s easy to access too with the Marylebone branch being within easy walking distance to Oxford Circus underground station.
We shall be going back to Cocoro for sushi soon however the next Cocoro review in the works is actually for their Holborn branch. We can reveal this will be covering their all you can eat Sukiyaki or Shabu Shabu hot pot deal. In the meantime, if you are looking for more Japanese restaurants in London please check out our top 10 list.
