I should correct this. I've been calling this place Yum Yum's restaurant for ages (and will continue to do so) although it's officially above the Yum Yum's store and officially called E Kagen Sushi & Noodle Bar.
With tomorrow not being a bank holiday there's surprisingly little to do in Brighton (if you know better do let us know), so we're going to recommend a restaurant to visit. However, this is hardly a desperation suggestion - it's my favourite restaurant in Brighton, and it's great to have a break from all the goings-on to finally be able to suggest this!
Yum Yum's to my knowledge, and to most of Qype's, the internet's, and all of my Japanese-hungry friends' knowledge, is fantastic. It serves reasonably priced authentic Japanese food cooked in an unpretentious open kitchen. The food is amazing, with a great selection of Sushi and Sashimi (two Sushi-obsessed friends can most definitely vouch for this) - and it's not just fish products that make it great.
My personal favourites are vegetable Gyozas I could eat all day (and have had valiant attempts to re-create with a Wagamamas Cookbook at home to some success), and a lovely rustic vegetarian Soba Noodle dish, and with an extensive menu it's to die for - although the photos on it don't do it justice. Dine for starter and main around £10 depending on what you pick, it's brilliant for lunch and dinner - although shut between 4pm and 6pm. If you're going for lunch they do a fantastically cheap (hello students) set menu, which my friends leap on.
Photo via here.
Find the restaurant above the Yum Yum oriental shop in the North Laines on Sydney Street (a brilliant source of Japanese cookery type things - the source of Gyoza skins, which made me very very happy), via the door to the right of the shop. It's an overlooked place that whilst not short of business is rarely crowded. It's cosy (but not too small - actually the inside is surprising and not what you expect from looking from outside), fantastic, and somewhere I keep meaning to take my parents to introduce them to Japanese food. It's a good place to investigate it, and won't let you down. I'll no doubt recommend this in a fit of excitement again at some point.
The above pictures are the Yaki Soba which I usually have (photo via here), second is what I had last time - Sansai Soba - and third is the Tempura, Prawn and Vegetable Soba.
I suppose you could say I like it just a little bit. A hidden gem, no doubt. If you go, let us know what you think!
The Map link is here, via Qype.
Don't let the outside put you off, the inside is lovely:
Hi there, E-Kagen really IS the best Japanese restaurant I have come across in England. Just letting you know - as you mentioned that their menu photos don't do the food justice - that I have taken some photos and I'm in the process of building a web site for them. Just because I love the place so much. For now, you'll find some photos in my photo blog if you wish you use them for this blog entry.
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