One of London’s restaurants that is more hidden from the masses in a quiet corner of Kensington for good reasons, Yashin has been sitting smugly since its opening in October 2010. With plush décor to compete with the likes of Mayfair’s best – including an open-plan sushi bar with the restaurant’s signature and ‘Without soy sauce – but if you want to’ written in neon lights along one black-tiled wall – Yashin is truly a hidden gem. The offspring of two of London’s most passionate sushi chefs, Yasuhiro Mineno and Shinya Ikeda, Yashin has managed to do what few sushi restaurants have been able to do – offer good quality sushi in a cosy, stylish atmosphere that doesn’t draw in the same model/investment banker crowd that flocks to Nobu. This authenticity is reflected in the menu, too. Instead of what you might expect to see in this kind of restaurant – we’ve all tried miso cod and yellowtail sashimi, thank you – a daily-changing selection of sushi can be ordered simply with the option of eight, eleven or thirteen pieces. The seared salmon with ponzu jelly and seared yellowtail are particularly flavourful, with each piece individually prepared to bring out the flavour in the fish. An imaginative selection of starters including a number of sashimis, handmade tofu and soft shell crab are all delicious, and excellently presented. As is the cold sake served in test tubes. It doesn’t stop there, either; the basement of Yashin homes an impressive wine and sake collection that come served in traditional venetian-like blue glasses. All in all, if you’re a sushi snob as seasoned hedonists usually are, Yashin is a treat not to be missed. But tell only your best friends.