Neon Nirvana at Kamikaze
They say a change is as good as a rest and that’s exactly what I discovered on my visit to the recently opened Kamikaze. Located where Dray Martina used to be found, it’s now a tribute to all things awesome and Asian. So if like me, you can’t get enough of gyoza, and edamame is your everything, this is the locale for you.
Like all my favourite Friday night dinners we kicked off proceedings with a cocktail. A mix of gin, mango syrup and rose-flavoured tonic, it was downright delicious and packed a punch thanks to the additional cayenne pepper kick.
Our aperitivo came complete with a flaming dragon (I was told that I needed to squeeze his tummy three times for good luck) which I duly did even though I felt quite lucky at this point with my gluttonously gorgeous bowl of prawn crackers.
So onto the menu. Essentially there was nothing that I didn’t fancy, which meant that we ordered a lot – partly due to the excellent host that was Giuseppe who was able to tip us off regarding some of his faves.
We sampled spicy edamame (and these really did leave your tongue tingling), curried mussels, steak tartare on teeny, tiny tacos, gyoza (natch), chicken wings, spring rolls and just to really ensure that a loose-fitting dress has been a wise choice, a prawn Pad Thai. Everything was oooh and aaaah inducing and incredibly more-ish.
I had high hopes for the food, given that Kamikaze comes from the tour de force that is Grupo Larrumba and as such, the decor is second to none (we sat next to a Japanese cherry blossom tree that frankly I’d have liked to take home for my patio). There’s plenty of neon (perfect for Insta) and plate porn if like me, crockery is your 30-something fetish.
As we were wrapping up with our post-dinner coffees, a monkey appeared wielding a ghetto blaster with tunes blaring; leaving us in no doubt that Kamikaze is definitely a place to get your weekend party started.
Choc-a-bloc with pretty looking peeps, as equally easy on the eye as the food was, this was aesthetically pleasing Asian at its best. I recommend booking for a Friday or Saturday if you like your gyoza hot and your cocktails cold.