Scientists say they are now able to calculate the formula for
happiness. I reckon they came up with it when they were chowing
down on a plate of salmon sashimi at London's freshest Japanese
restaurant chain, Tsuru. Everything about it is quite literally
mouthwatering: the sweet, tangy taste, the velvety texture and,
crucially, the temperature, combine to make this famous Japanese
staple exquisite fayre at Tsuru.
I first came across Emma Reynold's Tsuru-sushi chain of
restaurants when she hosted a London Gay Women's Network event last
month at Tsuru's newest Mansion House branch. There, among a
bustling throng of gay women from the city, the arts and other
noble professions, we drank and grazed on the tastiest morsels,
from picture-perfect urumaki to their (locally sourced, no doubt)
Borough chocolate brownie. Heaven. I loved it so much I decided to
meet co-owner Emma in the Bishopsgate branch for lunch a couple of
weeks later. Sitting in the summer sun under an umbrella in the
heart of the financial district, I couldn't help but feel relieved
that I wasn't at the neighbouring eaterie Pret, noshing on a soggy,
doughy wrap.
Emma set up the chain in November 2007 with friends Kensuke and
Jon who share her fanatical interest in food and ethical business.
Kensuke's mum and grandmother are to be thanked for the traditional
Japanese dishes on the menu - chicken yaketori and nasu dengaku to
name but two. Sustainability is a shared value of all three owners
which means ensuring that food is locally sourced where possible,
their tuna line-caught and their sake bought from boutique sake
company.
Name-checked in The Sunday Times' Style magazine last year as
the poster-girl for enterprising, successful lesbians, Emma
modestly blanches at this reference but admits that it seem to
increase custom in the following week. "Everyone from city boys to
professional mums came in to check us out," she grins. Not one to
rest on her laurels, Emma and her business partners are always
looking at ways to diversify the brand. Currently Tsuru offers
sushi-making and sake tasting classes and Emma's also dreaming up a
few quirky pop-up and women's events in the coming months.
Happiness indeed. Watch this space!
www.tsuru-sushi.co.uk
