UK’s first ‘Japanese burrito’ bar comes to London

Hai Street Kitchen & Co is set to become the first ‘Japanese burrito’ bar when it launches in Leadenhall Market next month.

This latest Japanese-inspired food revolution is also set to come to a new establishment in the USA later this year but London will be the home of the very first Hai Street Kitchen & Co.

The new culinary trend is billed as fresh, healthy, tasty and quick and designed along the lines of a burrito, diners first choose from either a sushi rice roll or bowl (rice or salad) which will be made up in front of them.

After that a choice of fillings are available such as chicken or fish katsu, grilled pork belly, salmon pastrami, flank steak or roasted carrot for vegetarians and vegans. When that has been chosen there is a selection of homemade sauces or toppings like fried garlic, shallots or yucca chips.

Taking the role of executive chef will be Takao Iinuma who has previously worked alongside legendary Japanese chef Masaharu Morimoto for a number of years and has ensured that the all-natural, fresh ingredients are of the highest quality and sourced sustainably.

The layout of the restaurant is a unique theatre-style kitchen and service allows diners to see exactly what is going into their food. Takao has also created a complementary range of side dishes including Renkon chips, Tomato bisque and Miso soup.

For hundreds of years Japanese food has been described as delicate or subtle, but Hai Street Kitchen & Co’s main aim is to change all that with this innovative new style of cooking, bringing it first to London before an opening in Philadelphia in the spring and another two sites in the UK later this year.