Blue Sakura review: Quality as well as quantity at superb all you can eat Japanese tapas restaurant

Gone are the days when you were judged by your fellow diners for piling one final pie on top of your already vertiginous plate, risking the walk of shame back to your table and hoping against hope that nothing fell off.

The concept at Blue Sakura may be roughly the same but the execution is vastly different. Yes, you pay a set fee for as much as you wish to eat within a set time frame. And there the difference ends.

There’s no buffet table groaning under the weight of cheap eats, no danger of slipping on a rogue potato that's ended up on the floor. The emphasis isn’t just on quantity but on quality.

But then it’s not your average Japanese restaurant either. The vibrant décor with its open kitchen, pink petal trees and stunning artwork is thoroughly Insta-friendly; the menu is Japanese-style tapas with hundreds of hot and cold dishes including sushi, sashimi and Asian-style grill dishes.

And the best bit? You don’t have to leave your seat to order. That’s all done through touchscreen technology. Our lovely server presented us with a tablet, gave a brief run-through and we were away.

On a bang average weekday evening, there was a lovely buzz about the place, with families, couples and friends all filling their boots. Any fears that it might take a while for the food to come though were unfounded – there was a constant stream of food making its way from the open plan kitchen to tables.

We decided to work our way through the menu and between us try a bit of everything, which began with tofu pocket nigiri and avocado sushi for me and miso soup and salmon maki for my guest. It looked stunning, tasted fresh and fabulous and was incredibly moreish.

It takes an element of self control at this point not to order half a dozen more of the same, but if you’re going to do the extensive menu justice, you simply have to move on and try the other delights on offer.

It would be rude to dwell just on one style of sushi when there’s temaki, uramaki and California rolls plus a selection of sashimi and gunkan maki on offer. And this, bear in mind, comes with a huge array of filling, from tofu, cucumber and asparagus to squid, torched tuna, barbecue eel and flying fish roe.

From here you can move on to deep fried dishes - piquant salt and pepper chicken, golden and crisp spring rolls were just two of our highlights. Then there’s the grilled offerings such as a tender aubergine with teriyaki sauce and a flavourful spicy lamb chop, plus mushrooms in a delightfully soft bao bun.

Sichuan tofu was delightfully rich and spicy while the chicken katsu curry was a hearty bowl of comfort.

If you have room, there are desserts; if not, the delightful waiting staff will bring you a tiny ice cream to round off your meal.

At £45.95 per adult on a weekday evening, it’s not cheap. But it is an experience, where a great concept meet fantastic service and superb food. Just don’t ask how many dishes we got through between two of us.

Scores

• Food: 10
• Atmosphere: 10
• Service: 10
• Value: 9