Hare and Tortoise

Nice place that was still open on a Saturday afternoon, the place was relatively quiet, it looks like nothing on the outside, but there is a large seating area downstairs.
We were a little surprised when they decided to seat another couple on the next table to us, I mean there were so many tables and only 3 tables filled, they could have literally sat anywhere else, even 2 tables over!
Sushi and the Yaki Udon dish were competently prepared, but I have had better. The side dishes were okay but unmemorable…
Look, it’s a decent place to get lunch, but you can do better, but on the other hand, in Blackfriars, you could do a much, much worse!

Really nice sushi bar ! In the basement of an office building, really crowded at lunchtime. The warm dishes like ramen and noodle ones were not breathtaking, but sushi, especially nigiri were awesome. Fresh fish, great taste, not too wide choice. Sashimi looked also great. So definitely good place for lunch. Not sure about the dinner in a very simple and no window sitting, but owrth trying anyway. And prices were acceptable too. Four people ate to the limit for 80+GBP

Nice ambiance, large, spacious, comfortable. Bustling on a Friday evening for dinner. Servers are nice and accommodating. But didn’t think the food was amazing.
Tofu & Vegetables Lo Mein in a Black Bean sauce — first, there were 3 enormous squares of fried tofu. I’ve never seen tofu that big. But the sauce was a no go. It just wasn’t very tasty. It had taste, but not a great one. Ample veggies, though. But I wouldn’t recommend the dish as a whole. Also, there was a piece of paper in the dish that we discovered only half way through eating it. It looked like food packaging of some kind. We immediately informed the waiter and he was nice about it, remaking our dish right away and removing it from the bill entirely. We appreciated this and from a service perspective had no issues. I would try this place again and order something different because it’s otherwise a nice place, but that dish wasn’t a hit.
Cucumber sushi — standard, fine, no complaints. A bit on the expensive side. Most places charge between £2.50 and £3 for a roll and this one is £3.30 for nothing special, but ah well.

It doesn’t look like much from the outside and you could easily walk past and never know it was there. I was thankfully introduced by a local to the area and my love affair with this place was born.
Then menu is plentiful and the portions are generous in comparison to the price! I had beef in black bean sauce which was soft and not even slightly chewy and my other half had sushi. Both were lovely. His fish was fresh and melt in the mouth soft and easily passed the ‘can I bite this in half without it exploding everywhere’ sushi test.
We had a selection of starters including the vegetarian duck rolls and okinimiyaki (?) sticks both were scrummy but I did think the price of the veg duck rolls was excessive. Four small rolls of classic duck pancake with tofu instead of duck for a hefty £4.30 is a bit steep for what is essentially cucumber/​spring onion/​tofu and sauce is one of the pricier things on the menu along with a pint of kirin for £5.70. Although both delicious, together they cost considerably more than either of our mains which came in at £6.80/8.30. Stick to the right things on this menu and you can be full, happy and have a couple quid still in your pocket!
I feel I must mention the staff who are quick and so very attentive that your plates disappear in moments once you’ve finished, this is not a place to linger. They are a mixture of happy, indifferent and morose but they get the job done!
I’ve had a fair few pleasant evenings with my girls in the hairy tortoise which is what it has become to us and enjoyed all of them. If I’m in the area it’s my go to place but as another reviewer said, its not somewhere to seek out in London but its perfect for locals. Even my other half was impressed on what was his first visit and mentioned what he would try on our next visit! Sorry ladies, i fear our secrets out???

The sashimi was not very fresh. Soups around me looked good though!

Best value ramen I’ve found in London — and huge portions.

The Hare & The Tortoise falls into the ‘ok if you’re in the area’ category. They churn out food and I can imagine it would be quite popular with nearby corporates but when in London for a week, I reckon you can give it a miss.
Technically, the food is Japanese but they have other Asian dishes too. I ordered the laksa (perhaps that’s where I went wrong…). It was passable but pretty sweet and heavy-​handed on the coconut cream.
Again, ok for a quick, relatively cheap corporate lunch but no wow-​factor.

Huge portions and amazing value for money. What more could you want?
Thoroughly recommend the Hare & Tortoise. I describe it as Wagamamas but cheaper with more food. They are a little chain so I’d really like to try out one or two other places to compare.
They have lovely lovely Kirin lager on tap. But it’s pricey for a pint. To be fair, it’s the only pricey thing on the menu.
Sushi — lovely. Katsu curry — bloody lovely. No duck, duck pancake roll things — also damn fine. This time there was 10 of us on a table. Mixed starters, main courses, bottles of wine, many beers and soft drinks. Many monies each you’d think? Well you would think wrong good sirs! £22 each including tip. BOOM.
It’s in a basement so no phone signal (unless on O2 apparently). But I like that.
Service is good too!

The Hare and Tortoise is a venue that I have often overlooked, as it doesn’t look like much on the outside. A simple sign and windows covered in grey, hide behind them a downstairs area filled with delicious food smells.
When you go down the place may feel a little dark due to the lack of natural light and the darker toned furniture but the minimalists in my group really liked that simple décor. To be honest I prefer Japanese restaurant with obvious Japanese vibes and slightly more traditional décor.
Then it was time to try the food. Being me I could not resist the chicken katsu curry, as it’s one if my favourite dishes ever, and this one certainly did not disappoint. The chicken was juicy and delicious, the curry sauce was amazing and the rice was cooked to perfection.
I also tried my friend’s duck and rice dish and it was also excellent. My other two friends said that their dishes were great too and we all found that the portion were massive and it was actually quite hard to finish them.
I was very pleased with the food overall because it was really good, quite a lot of it and it was under £8! I would certainly go back there to try more things from their menu, as they also have a great selection of sushi and sashimi and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who is looking for a good Japanese meal around Blackfriars.

Love this place — the wait is never long for a seat even during lunch hours. Service is fast which is great for the general hour lunch break. The food is delicious, I’m always dubious when places mix cuisines together but the ramen is just as good as the kueh teow. The brown rice tea is amazing and sushi is fresh, you can actually taste the flavour of the sashimi rather than the bland cuts from wasabi/​itsu.

Good selection of the menu, fast paced service without rushing too much and a nice location. We’ll come back soon!

Reasonable food quality but it’s cheap and quick near the office, so it’s become an occasional lunchtime haunt. I recommend the chicken laksa, but not the Phad Thai in the photo below!
Be warned — there’s zero phone signal downstairs!

Delicious, efficient and affordable, a gem in the barren culinary wasteland of Bloomsbury. We arrived at around 8:30 on a Friday night and were lucky to get a table without waiting. Everyone who came after us had a few minutes’ wait. The starters — veg tempura, prawn gyoza and chicken rolls — were delicious. The roast duck was the best I’ve ever had. The laksa and Malaysian curry both looked and smelled incredible, and judging by the noises being made from my table mates, tasted just as good. Oh and the portions were huge!

Good selection of sushi and sashimi. Fast & Friendly service. The fried shrimp dumplings were ok, nothing to brag about. First place I’ve had tuna belly, which I found to be a little tough.

This is a great place for lunch if you work in the area, quick service, reasonably priced and very tasty! Try the Pad Thai, yummy!

Great food, great value.
I never get tired of the Hare and Tortoise. We come here for lunch on a fairly regular basis. The food is great. The Singapore noodles and chicken katsu curry are the best I have tasted anywhere and I order them regularly. I have also tried their soups. The grilled chicken ramen, curry laksa are fantastic and so filling I can’t finish them. The only thing on their menu which I tried and was not impressed with was the Tom Yum Noodle soup but considering the size and variety of their menu I won’t hold that against them.
This place is really popular and if you want to come here for lunch you really need to be here by midday otherwise you will be waiting for a table. The service is pretty good and you get your food quickly. They have a great selection of drinks as well both alcoholic and non-​alcoholic. I particularly like their raw juice.
The prices are great too. A main course will set you back around £8 and you will be full for the rest of the day. They also do take away which is a good option if you can’t stay out for lunch.
I am slightly loath to recommend this place as it is so popular already and hard enough to get a seat some times but if you promise not to go there before midday then go right ahead and give it a go — you won’t regret it I promise!

Rapide et convivial.
Très belles portions servies et très bons produits.

So my problem with Wagamama is that it looks like they chucked a bunch of Tesco stir fry bags in a vat of soup mix powder and called it a day. Hare and Tortoise is pretty much the same. The laksa noodles were tasteless and bland, and although the serving size was huge, I lost my appetite pretty quickly.
Sushi is also Itsu quality. Seriously man, save your money.

I’ve wanted to visit this place for a while, after walking past many times over the past few months. As you enter, you walk down the stairs where you reach a small and sparsely furnished dining area in full view of the sushi kitchen. The décor is modern and stylish, and the place feels quite spacious and inviting.
Onto the food which is the reason we’re here. Portions sizes are quite varied. The Wakame is tasty, the fried vegetables a little bland. Edamame beans hard to get wrong. Katsu curry, good portion, but again nothing special. I would highlight the pistachio ice cream dessert which was amazing and quite the surprise. Molten chocolate cake oozing with warm chocolate sauce with a nice scoop of pistachio ice cream in the middle. Superb.
Service was excellent, staff were attentive and never felt overbearing as happens in some restaurants. Some dishes like the katsu curry were good value for money. Some sushi dishes were a little pricy and personal preference, not vinegary enough for me, but this is more a state of sushi in the UK, rather than a food quality issue.
I’d probably try this place again simply for the divine dessert.

Huge portion sizes and really yummy food.
You have to get here by 12pm though to beat the lunch rush otherwise you’ll be waiting for a while for a seat. Our drinks were served very quickly and the waitress was very patient taking our orders (there were a few particular order taking out stuff and adding stuff to standard dishes).
All the food that arrived was served in huge bowls and smelled delicious. I got the chicken and black bean sauce with noodles and it was really nice! One of the order at our table was wrong and the manager was so nice and helpful about it. She rushed the ticket to the top of the line and has the correct food with us within 7 mins.
It’s a really great place for a city lunch, just make sure you time your visit right!

Very decent sushi for lunch. Had hamachi, unagi, snow crab and ikura — all were fresh and nicely prepared, washed down with a refreshing and sushi-​friendly Tsingdao beer. All of this cost £19. Not cheap by any means!
Service was friendly and swift. Americans beware — their mobile credit card readers do not accept US cards that do not contain the smart chip. Bring cash!