Let it not be said content marketing doesn't work. We were hunting for some local sushi and we stumbled across Zero Sushi by discovering one of its chefs - Radori Mada and the amazing looking sushi he puts on his feed.
Zero are an independent sushi takeaway and have been going for about 8 years. They use techniques like dry-aging, kobujime, zuke (marinating in house-made soy). They appear to have had a very successful lockdown and are dedicated to only sourcing sustainably farmed fish (sustainable fish is a big issue in the sushi world).
I pulled my normal trick - messaging saying something like 'OMG we'll definitely order soon', then not ordering, then weeks later, ordering with almost no notice at all. I am a very organised person you see! In any case, the menu looked good - but I really wanted an Omakse (a chef's selection - literally 'I'll leave it up to you' in Japanese) as I think it's such a good barometer of the chef's skills and creativity, as well as getting a great mix of flavours. Radori obliged, and I collected a beautiful looking omaske for two - a mix of sashimi, nigiri and futomaki, for £30.
I picked our meal up from Berkhampstead and it really was presented beautifully. Zero also said they are looking to phase out the traditional black sushi boxes with something like certified paper/card and recyclable plastic packaging made with recycled content that is fully recyclable - which is great to hear.
Starting with the futomaki - they were really funky. I have never had futomaki with more than one type of fish before - but Zero mixed about four different cuts of fish into them. Some were also topped with ikura. It was a really cool idea - I think a bit like Neapolitan pizza, if you want to do it traditional, stick religiously to tradition. But if you want to innovate, push the boat out - which Zero did. If we're splitting hairs, it didn't contain the mix of textures that most futomaki has. But I'd happily forgive that because of the innovation and quality of the fish (getting sushi grade fish in a pandemic, with additional Brexit complications must be tough!).
The nigiri were ace - featuring the same fish as the futomaki. We got two pieces of each of the following: aged and kobujime (red sea bream), lightly seared chutoro (tuna belly) with kabosu kosho (citrus chilli paste), maguro no zuke-don (marinated tuna) with daikon and lemon peel, and salmon. Despite using the same fish as the futomaki, because they had been separated we got to really taste the flavours and quality of the fish - which are impressive. The kabosu kosho for instance, added a fire to to the chutoro tuna that was really out of the ordinary - which was probably my favourite of the four nigiri. C loved the kobujime with the added fragrant twist of a shiso leaf beneath the fish. I was hoping that the rice would be a little softer, but that's being hyper critical.
Finally we had the sashimi - again same fish. Truth be told, I rather would have forgone it in favour of more amazing nigiri or futomaki, but it was still really nice. Again they innovated despite having the same ingredients: with the salmon they skinned it quite close, leaving a very thin silver sheen to the flesh, which was then scored to give a stunning striped effect.
Overall we were really impressed by Zero - this is definitely the best sushi we have tried so far. We would have liked to see a wider range of fish offered, but in lockdown, with Brexit supply teething problems, you can't blame them for having a somewhat limited menu. But what we did have we liked, a lot. We are proper sushi snobs, and this was great.
Service:
We went off menu (I know, we're the worst) and nothing was an issue. Great communication.
Quality:
Generally very good - in particularly testing conditions.
Value & Price:
Five pieces of nigiri usually go for around £7. Really good value for money. Our special deal was £30 and fed two people brilliantly.
Overall:
EXCELLENT - Zero could comfortably hold its own with some of the trendier (and pricier) sushi places in central London. We can't wait to see what their range is like under normal operating conditions and will definitely be back.
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