Shibuya Soho

Shibuya Soho (Shaftesbury Avenue) | Japanese

Shibuya Soho is a veritable Tardis of a restaurant. By some kind of magic, the modest, two-floor space manages to be a café, bakery, bar, sushi joint, and ice cream parlour, all rolled into one.

But this isn’t a case of jack of all trades, master of none, Shibuya Soho are masters of all aspects of Japanese café cuisine.

Their ice creams aren’t just any ice cream. They’re gigantic, towering piles of shaved ice heaving at the seams with Oreos, strawberries, mangos and azuki red beans. Meet ‘Bingsu’, a popular Korean dessert comprising of flaky shards of ice milk in a mound so big you’ll have to rope in neighbouring diners to help you finish it.

Behind the counter are a tempting array of baked Japanese cake delights, like Matcha Roll Cake (a squishy sponge filled with a whipped green tea cream), or tempting Nama Cream Strawberry Cake.

There’s plenty for the savoury-of-palate at Shibuya Soho too, including classic sushi favourites like California and Maki Rolls, but also some super cool and unique varieties, like crunchy Caterpillar Roll with tempura flake, avocado and tuna, or a feisty Volcano Roll with tempura prawn, eel, wasabi mayo and spicy mayo sauce.

For a warming comfort dish, try their Ton Katsu Curry – deep fried pork cutlet, smothered in a fragrant Japanese curry. Why not sample some of their excellent sakes – straight up or in a cocktail. Boozy Beauty Tip – their Izeko Jelly Sparkling Sake cocktail includes the skin moisturising ingredient ceramide.

Soundtracked by the latest Western and Far Eastern hits, the contemporary, Scandi-style space (all pale woods and minimalist touches) is super popular with young British Asians who can’t get enough of their delectable hot and cold treats.

Shibuya Soho is proof that good things come in small packages.