Sushi Revolution comes to Shoreditch

A contemporary Japanese sushi restaurant has launched a brand-new site, settling on Curtain Road, Shoreditch, as the location for its second venue. 

Sushi Revolution's original site opened in Brixton in May 2021. Founded by friends and colleagues Tom Blackdhaw and Aidan Bryan, who have a collective 40 years of experience in the industry, the concept is a modern interpretation of traditional Japanese izakaya. 

The Shoreditch site occupies a ground-floor space at the new Stage Plaza development. The restaurant overlooks the entrance to the upcoming Museum of Shakespeare, which is being conceptualised by Bompas and Parr and is due to open next year. 

The revolution

The restaurant features traditional Japanese building techniques, including shou sugi ban-style burned wooden walls, hand-crafted kintsugi porcelain tables and a sushi bar carved from reclaimed wood. Modern pendants provide warm lighting with noren curtains and colourful sake barrels completing the look. 

The main dining space offers 34 covers, with additional window seating available. Benches, outdoor seats and Japanese trees and plants will overlook the Stage Plaza during dry summer months. 

The team

Chef Blackshaw has been making sushi at the highest level for 15 years, working at some of the best sushi restaurants in London and Europe including Aqua Kyoto, Chotto Matte and, most recently, Sticks'n'Sushi. Blackshaw describes his cooking style as traditional techniques combined with modern flavours, demonstrated in such dishes as the soft-shell crab roll with kimchee hummus. 

Bryan will head up front-of-house, having managed bars, restaurants and hotels for the last 25 years. A former bar manager at Claridges Hotel and Gordon Ramsay's Maze Grill, his last position was restaurant manager at Sticks'n'Sushi's flagship Covent Garden venue, where he first met Blackshaw. 

The menu

The food offering has been designed to be quick, easy, versatile and creative. Snacks include spicy edamame with chipotle miso, and the signature Revolution miso soup with sancho pepper and truffle oil.

Starters are broken down into two sections: 'Sushi' for classic serves and 'The Revolution' for hot fried dishes.  Tuna tartare is served with goat's cheese and truffle onion soy, while fresh nikkei yellowtail tiradito comes with cherry tomatoes, red onion and yuzu truffle soy. 

Sashimi and nigiri dishes are fresh and simply presented, using fish from London's top seafood suppliers. A selection of vegan dishes is also available. 

The drinks

Sushi can be paired with Traunstein Helles Lager, Asahi, Brixton Brewery IPA and APA, plus a choice of red, white and sparkling wine starting at £26 a bottle. 

Sake ranges from the Sushi Revolution House Serve – a carafe of classic sake for £8 or Yuzu House Sake for £10 – ranging up to the high-end Tosatsuru 'Azure' Ginjo, recommended for special occasion toasting at £95 a bottle. A succinct list of cocktails is also available. 

Blackshaw says of the recent Shoreditch opening: "We aim to serve great food and drinks quickly, in a great venue, with great service at a great price! Not always easy but hopefully, if we can do that our guests will keep coming back."

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