The Ashley Park Ember Inn

Obon

➤ 42 Richmond Rd, Kingston Upon Thames, United Kingdom, Kingston upon Thames

Carte • Soup • Fish • Sushi • Japanese

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"Obon: a petit Japanese udon restaurant that supplies a sense of Japan that cannot be found anywhere else in the whole of the Uk. (5 stars) Location: Obon is located close to the heart of Kingston but the road it’s on is considerably quieter. You must make sure to have a basic knowledge of Kingston in order to find an area to park and to also make sure you leave yourself enough time, taking the unpredictability of the traffic into acount. Even on a week day there can be traffic jams which can put a halt to your plans and due to the small amount of customers Obon can take its important that you not only book but make sure that you arrive at the agreed booking time. With this being said the staff are all lovely so if you are running late, a quick call is all that is required to just give Obon a chance to understand your position. The food: The array of exquisitely prepared sashimi will be sure to create the sensation that you are in a top Japanese restaurant in japan and the flavour of the fish does not fail to match expectations, which will be very high after just one glance at your meal. The fish is delicately seasoned and practically melts on your tongue, this causes a lovely sensation and is genuinely the finest sushi I have tasted in the uk and even matches a lot of the top restaurants in japan. On top of just the traditional types of sushi, which to many is maki rolls Obon also offers many other delicious options such as soft shell crab and even Unagi don, which I must highly recommend due to it consistently being the highlight of my meal. For those of you that were interested in the quality of the basic Japanese dishes such as miso soup or edamame they do not fail to leave you in grand anticipation for what is to come for they are, simply speaking, incredibly good. The miso, in my opinion, is truly remarkable and creates a lasting feeling of warmth throughout your entire body, on top of that it is far superior to other miso’s that I have tasted in all other areas of the world. Overall the quality of the food is something you would expect from a world famous Michelin star restaurant and if you want Japanese food it’s the only place I can recommend. The Restaurant: The restaurant itself is small but authentic in nature and because it only has a enough tables to host around 20 people at the most, the service is exceptionally good and your food is always out quickly so you will not be left hungry for very long. The staff are kind and friendly. And it’s always an enjoyable experience being waves goodbye as you leave the restaurant. You’re also able to watch as they prepare the food, which for some could be entertaining. There are Japanese photos scattered around the room and this further creates an authentic feel. The atmosphere is not lively but it is a restaurant and not a bar so is an ideal location if you are wanting high quality food. With this being said it is still a great place to go with friends and I consistently am able to have a great time no matter the occasion. Price: Obviously, the price of the food is always an important topic to come to and despite the cost of the sushi being slightly higher than you may expect from a small restaurant in Kingston, I would have to say that for the quality of the food it is ultimately a bargain. For three people, you would be spending around £100 so it isn’t cheap but you can go for cheaper types of food such as udon, which is still amazing quality and won’t set you back as much money. Overall: Obon is still my favourite restaurant in the whole of the Uk and is perfect for a special occasion but it isn’t the sort of place you’d go for a casual night out. The food is beyond incredible and thus they can cater for both children and adults by meeting every bodies needs. For anybody that enjoys sushi, I would urge you to give it a go, you won’t regret it"

Saffron Summer

➤ 4 Ace Parade, Hook Road,, KT9 1DR, Kingston upon Thames, United Kingdom

Carte • Asian • Indian • Vegetarian • Street Food

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"Lovely looking restaurant and staff very friendly but, the portion sizes were so small. We had a starter, then ordered 2 mains, 2 rice, 1 side and a starter for our daughter as her main meal. The portions were really small and lacked flavour. The sag aloo literally had 3 halved new potatoes and the butter chicken had 4 pieces of chicken. We had a couple of beers, glass of wine and soft drink. Our bill was over £100 Inc a 10% service charge. Personally don't feel this was value for money"

Surbeanton

➤ 48 Victoria Road, Kingston Upon Thames, United Kingdom, KT6 4JL, Kingston upon Thames

Carte • Sushi • Coffee • European • Vegetarian

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"Great coffee in a cute cafe. Very cute cafe which was really well decorated for Christmas, with hand drawn images in the windows. The cafe is flooded with local art and photography, which is great to see. The cafe also has a selection of speciality foods to buy for home, including pasta and sauces, which reassuringly have no English on them (a sign of an authentic Italian product! . Friendly staff served us very promptly.Coffee was very smooth, not bitter or harsh at all. Far from a typical dark roast which was refreshing. Delicious coffee.Would highly recommend especially when you can sit in."

Alio's Delicatessen

➤ 245 Terrace Rd, KT12 2DZ, Elmbridge, United Kingdom

Carte • Cafe • Pasta • Italian • European

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"An amazing selection of Sardinian, Italian and continental food and wine. Happily filled my basket up. Would have liked some mozzarella but out of stock, provolone cheese was suggested, tasted and purchased. Also treated ourselves to some wine, it seemed rude not to. Finally indulged in a socially distanced cup of coffee and a lemon sorbet sat outside in the sunshine. First time in three long months bliss."

Roz Ana

➤ 4 - 8 Kingston Hill Kingston upon Thames, Greater London KT2 7NH, KT2 6BX, United Kingdom

Carte • Indian • Chicken • European • Chocolate

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"We returned having had a great time the first time and it didn't disappoint. Our waitress was first class she even remembered us from months ago. Always willing to recommend dishes. The chef even let us try something before we made a decision as was worried it was going to be too spicy. It wasn't it was delicious. As was all the food we had. We ate too much but it was worth feeling full. Have recommended to friends will certainly be back for the Goat curry ...and everything else."