Okawari (West End)

I agree. Cheap and cheerful and although not strictly Japanese (fusion anyone?!) it is a good entry into Nipponese cuisine. As a friend of mine calls it Japanese-lite! The waiting staff, although they can get things wrong, are so sweet and slightly dippy that we can forgive them a lot.
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Yummymummynumberone - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 10
Friday, June 20, 2008

MASSIVE MASSIVE PORTIONS, great value for money. My kind of place =)

It's not traditional japanese, but it features good service and tasty food. I do recommend you to try it out.
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- View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 8
Saturday, June 07, 2008

Fantastic sushi! I can recommend this restaurant to everyone!!
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Clim
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Saturday, May 17, 2008

A freind took me here for dinner the other night. Small and unassuming, one of myriad little places to be found in this part of town. But what a find. Huge portions, without the huge huge cost you'd expect, served by cheery helpful staff. A meal for two, including drinks came in at £25. Light and crisp tempura, just what I had been craving for ages! Noodles served in bowls big enough to swim in and endless green tea! A delight.
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Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Thursday, April 17, 2008

I first stumbled upon this gem whilst wandering around Chinatown in search of a place that gave a good compromise between value for money and palatability. In both categories, Okawari hit the bullseye.

There is a very respectable array of sushi and sashimi on offer (both commendably fresh) in addition to more common dishes (e.g. katsu curry, noodles and rice) and a range of bento boxes containing rice, salad and numerous combinations of other items complemented with a bowl of miso soup. In my total of 2 visits I sampled the katsu curry with deep fried vegetables, bento boxes containing salmon and tuna sashimi and beef teriyaki, and some eel maki. The only minor moan I'd contribute is that the katsu curry arrived with a thin film on the top and really did taste of en masse preparation. Aside from that, everything else was excellent and the serving sizes large, bordering on colossal (leaving satiated is a certainty). Couple this with the fact that a bottomless green tea costs 50p and students enjoy a 10% discount and you have a restaurant that most definitely deserves a shining reputation. Don't go in there expecting the world...but definitely give this one a try.
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Dr. K
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 10
Sunday, March 30, 2008

Whilst looking for somewhere to eat in and around Chinatown we came across okawari. My boyfriend looked in the window and liked the clean fresh feel of the place and also the look of what people were eating.

The service was prompt and the waitress welcoming. I asked if their green tea was hot and ordered a cup which cost 50p (as it should do - not £1.70 like in most places) I was delighted to find that it was refilled for free on a regular basis by the waitress who brought it round in a tea pot.

We ordered some salmon rolls and a hand roll. These were made at the counter and we could watch them being prepared. They were well presented with a good helping of wasabi and pickles. The rice was very fresh and tasted devine. The fish had already been prepared and you could see it on the counter in stacks. It tasted fresh.

We also ordered Bento box E and box F. I'd have to say these are great value for money. I was stuffed half way through. I'd say E with the pork Tonkatsu and tempura was better value for money than F. Rice was stickey and fluffy. Tempura was light and the pork tonkatsu reminded me of eating bento boxes in the park in Tokyo with my friend. I've read the reviews that it's not authentic Japanese. It tasted just like I remember it, but then I was only a tourist, and I did not try the ramen or soba dishes. I was so full I could only manage a few mouthfuls of miso soup.

Our bill came to £33, which we felt was a good price for a lovely meal. Was a bit disapointed that they had added a service charge.

Will eat there again.
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Carrie
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 9
Monday, January 28, 2008

went there because of the reviews but was disappointed. The food was ok but was not authentic Japanese. My noodles were more chinese apart from the fact it is was made with Japanese ramen which was disappointing as I was looking forward to a Japanese meal. It was also disppointing to see none of the staff were japanese but they were nice and friendly.
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Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 2
Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Really great rolls, well designed with a good mix of flavours and well made, tasty rich sashimi. Food always leaves me satisfied.
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The Hungriest Hippo - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 8
Thursday, September 13, 2007

I started off using Okawari for special occasions only and then found I was trying to think up special occasions just so I could go there. Can't beat those soft shell crabs! Mmmmm.
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Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Monday, July 30, 2007

food is not bad. be careful that service is already included in the bills. according to my friend, the boss of the restaurant keep the tips, and have asked the waiter not to tell customers that service cahrge is already included.
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Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 7
Sunday, July 29, 2007