Dozo (Old Compton St): where second chances made sense

Started the meal with salmon skin salad (£7.80) because 1) I’m a sucker for salmon skin (it’s a healthier alternative to chicharon) and 2) the salmon skin rolls were a highlight of my last visit. The leaves are pretty much shop-bought but the generous helping of salmon skin was good enough for a bit of patience.

Sashimi ala carte come in threes. Maguro (£6.50), Salmon (£4.80) and Butterfish (£7.80). The price is heaps cheaper than high-end sushi legend Roka, but the fish tasted fresh and were thickly cut. The butterfish was an absolute delight to eat; it was silky and melt-in-your-mouth wonderful.

I think the robata is where Dozo does a lacklustre job. Following from last visit’s dry pork skewers, we tried the enoki bacon and the gyu (beef fillet) skewers (£2.20 a stick). The former is mostly bacon (good for carnivorous punters!) but the mushroom is lost and wilted whilst the latter was too dry to even warrant a photo.

Dozo offers gindara saikyomiso (£26.80) and at 4/5 the price of Roka’s amazing black cod I reckon this isn’t a bad deal - considering you get two massive fillets! Admittedly, this cheaper alternative is pretty decent but I do miss the freshness of Roka’s own.

Overall, Dozo’s second chance was more hit than miss. I think the sashimi was decent enough and the service was pretty good. If you’re asking me to compare it to its competitor down the road, I’d say skip the queues, pay extra, have better food and service.

Dozo Sushi (Soho)
32 Old Compton St, London W1D
Ave pp: £25
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