Review of 'Kintan Japanese BBQ'

Opened recently to a considerable amount of hype this small restaurant in the heart of Holborn is, evidently, the first yakiniku-style restaurant in London - Very similar to Korean BBQ where you cook your raw food on a grill in the middle of the table.

There are separate set menus for lunch and dinner but we decided to give the lunch a go. Asked whether we had a reservation we answered in the negative but were placed at a table without too much fuss. The lunch menu fits on one side of paper and has some typical Japanese offerings familiar in other restaurants (katsu, curry and soup) but we were here for the Yakiniku with two main choices based on the number of meats - £13 for 2 choices and £17 for 3 choices. The meats were “Kalbi Short Rib”, “Yaki-Shabu Beef”, “Bistro Hanger Steak”, “Pork Belly”, “Tiger Prawns” and “Chicken Thighs”. I had the short rib, pork belly and prawns - The portions of each were not huge but very nicely marinaded when they came to our table. The grill was piping hot and the food cooked in no time but while we waited we chatted and helped ourselves to the provided salad and miso soup (Japanese tea was provided free of charge). It was all very very tasty particularly with the two sauces provided for dipping of our barbequed meat: A thick, sweet, soy sauce and a hot and sour dip - The later was really nice.

Not the cheapest lunch but a lot of fun and tremendously tasty.

Service was not great particularly during the hectic lunch hour. Anxious to get back to work we had to wait about 10 minutes before someone would bring us our bill and allow us to pay though it has to be said the staff were friendly and helpful.

Most definitely be back to try out the dinner menu…or perhaps back again for lunch.

Rating: “Really good but I have some issues”

Review Date: 2014-10-31

Cuisine: Japanese

Address: 34-36 High Holborn London WC1V 6AE

Public Transport: Chancery Lane

Location: London (England) - Holborn

Map:

Telephone: +44 (0) 20 3150 2501

URL: http://kintan.uk/