こんにちは    Kon’nichiwa sushi lovers!

From nori and maki rolls to tempura and nigiri…I always am in the mood for sushi!

If you love sushi you’ve probably had the same problems I’ve had finding decent maki rolls outside of London.

Thankfully a fantastic food scene is growing in Bedford Place where Nara, a Japanese sushi restaurant, is based.

Inside Nara

Nara is long and narrow with two seating areas either side of a central walkway. Lanterns hang from the ceiling and the walls are covered in famous Japanese artwork.

My favourite and arguably the most popular and recognisable works of art on the wall is a version of The Great Wave off Kanagawa. The original is a wood block print by artist Hokusai published between 1829 and 1833. It features Mount Fuji and a town called Kanagawa which is known now as Yokohama.

The big blue waves of the Hokusai print create a very modern looking street arty vibe inside and it’s not pretentious at all. It’s really casual and has a warm feel to it.

For me it’s cosy and a brilliant place to catch up with friends and I’ve had some wonderful meals sat there putting the world to rights.

Nara’s sushi menu

The menu at Nara is vast and you really are spoilt for choice. From gyoza to salmon sushi and bento boxes – prawns, salmon, caviar, squid, octopus, tuna, ramen, curry, katsu – there’s everything a sushi lover could want. Take a look at Nara’s menu for yourself.

Salmon, prawns and avocado are my favourite foods and Nara does some incredible sushi with these ingredients.

I’ll run through my favourite dishes on the menu, starting with the duck gyoza. Usually I prefer crispy fried gyoza but there’s something weirdly satisfying about the texture of these little tasty bites.

I always have the Kirin Maki for my main meal it’s rice rolls full of tempura prawn and cucumber with salmon on the top. It’s unbelievable!

There’s a great contrast between the smooth salmon and rice, the crunchy cucumber and the crispy tempura prawn. It’s so tasty and it combines all my favourite food.

The Dragon Maki, another favourite, is similar but instead of a layer of salmon on top, there’s avocado in the middle along with the tempura prawn and cucumber.

It’s presented beautifully too on long thing black plates with colourful pops of salmon and small piles of wasabi and ginger that make it totally mouth watering.

Salmon Avocado California Maki is a great six piece dish to share and have alongside a bigger dish. Simple ingredients but crazy delicious – this is the kind of food that I never tire of!

There’s so much on the menu, this is just a couple of things I’ve had several times now and really enjoyed.

If you’re not sure what to try a bento box could be a good entry point. It is made up of a couple of different dishes and is great for getting a feel of what you might like from the menu.

Sushi in Southampton

Nara serves the best sushi I’ve had in the city and is my go to place to get my fish and rice fix. I think it strikes a good balance between price, quality and quantity.

I’d love to go some time and get some of the bigger sharing dishes, I’ve seen them go out to tables and they look glorious, a real feast.

If you’re looking for a great place for sushi in Southampton then I’d highly recommend a visit to Nara. Let me know what you think if you go!