Bonsai Bar Bistro

Bonsai Bar Bistro Edinburgh

http://www.bonsaibarbistro.co.uk

Reviews and related sites

Bonsai Bar Bistro : Japanese : Bite Magazine

Review analysis
food  

It is the tenth birthday of Bite this year and inevitably your editor catches herself looking back to the restaurant scene of 2003 and considering the good, the bad and the ugly.

However, it is good that a few do and that sushi restaurants in particular have proliferated.

The menu lists soups, salads, sashimi, sushi, teppanyaki et al in a very clear and concise fashion but there are some really tempting and interesting dishes on offer.

We try salmon sashimi with radish noodles (£4.50), tuna Maki (£4.25), tako salad - marinated octopus & tomato salad with yuzu dressing £3.95) and sunomono salad  - lightly pickled cucumber & wakame salad (£3.50).

The sashimi was delicious, the seaweed wrapped round the tuna maki had a great texture and flavour but it was the salads that truly impressed.

Bonsai Bar Bistro (46 West Richmond Street, Edinburgh) | The List

As a small Japanese restaurant on a quiet and undistinguished street in Edinburgh, Bonsai doesn’t look like much from its modest exterior.

But don’t judge a book by its cover – the kitchen is where all the action's at in this humble joint, cooking up innovative dishes, despite being one of the city’s elder Japanese eateries.

Some of the fried dishes are prepared a little sloppily, but for the sushi alone it’s worth a trip back, plus the lunch deals and bento boxes are an absolute steal.

In true Japanese style, the place is small but full of character, with red lanterns and anime posters decorating the space, and staff who make you feel truly welcome.

Best Edinburgh sushi restaurants - our top 6

Review analysis
food  

The traditional sushi rolls are accompanied by cone-shaped temaki rolls and inside-out gaijin rolls which are filled with delicious ingredients.

Edinburgh’s Old Town may not spring to mind when you think of sushi, but, in fact, it is home to a Japanese restaurant which has been very popular with tourists since it opened in 2007.

The ingredients are always fresh, and the traditional salmon and tuna sushi is given centre stage.

Adorned with lanterns and Japanese prints, Yes Sushi combines traditional and modern Japanese cuisine.

The red tiger roll is quite a spectacle, comprising several sushi rolls and prawn tempura for the head and tail.

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