Poppy Hana Japanese Restaurant

168-170 Jamaica Road, London SE16 4RT

As this contemporary looking restaurant is just around the corner from our flat, we had seen it many times and decided that we would give it a try as a healthy Sunday night meal.
Whilst walking to it at about 8.30pm we were concerned that it might not actually be open, but were pleasantly surprised to find that it was and that a couple of other tables were also being patronised.

The inside of the place is very tastefully decorated with mood lighting and little Japanese lanterns hanging from the ceiling, providing a relaxed atmosphere and ambiance. If you are traveling by tube it is literally one to two minutes’ walk from Bermondsey underground and there are also many bus routes making it an easily accessible location from both London Bridge and Canada Water. It isn't such a great area for parking though as it is situated on a main road.

The menu of this family run business is quite extensive so it took a while to decide what to have and unfortunately it also took the waitress that long to approach us for our drinks order. We placed our food and drink order at the same time, the drinks came immediately and due to the nature of the cuisine the food wasn't far behind. A handy tip - the full Poppy Hana menu is available on their website so you could even browse through and make your selection in the comfort of your own home before heading out to the restaurant.

As we were having a healthy 'clean' meal we did not order wine or any other alcohol on this occasion but there was a fair selection available at acceptable prices should we have wanted it. Instead we decided to go as authentic as possible and sampled the green tea which was very nice and had the advantage of being 'bottomless'. Iced tap water was gratis.
We decided to get a main dish each and a vegetable side order to share. I opted for the chef recommended 'sashimi set' (raw fish) which initially didn't look like very much when it was brought to the table, but I have to admit that it was quite filling and very enjoyable. It comprised three slices of four different fish with wasabi and ginger on the side, which for once I actually decided to consume and was glad that I did. This dish, and sashimi in general, is a great option if you are following a low carbohydrate diet!

My partner decided upon the tuna and salmon donburi, meaning fresh slices of tuna and salmon sashimi on sticky sushi rice. I tried it and liked it and there were certainly no complaints coming from the other side of the table either. Again it was another good sized, filling portion although the slices of sashimi were not quite as thick as the ones on my plate. The starter dish that we shared was stir fried pakchoi and green leaves in a sweet(ish) sauce and was very tasty. So tasty that after we had eaten all of the greens I actually drank the remaining sauce. We were also served a complimentary bowl of tasty miso soup.

Overall it was an enjoyable experience, but the reaction of the waitress when we asked her to remove the service charge was less than polite or professional, despite explaining that we prefer to tip in cash. We didn't leave a tip anyway because I only believe in doing so if the service has been great and on this occasion it was distinctly average and let down further by the attitude at the end. However, the food was nice, prices reasonable and they do also have a take away counter and delivery service (free for orders over £15 within a 3 mile radius) so I may well give them some more business in the future and a chance to redeem themselves on the customer service front.

If you like, or want to try, affordable authentic Japanese food in SE16 Poppy Hana is worth a visit.

DEL
April 2011

THE BILL

2 green tea 2.00
1 sashimi set 8.95
1 tuna and salmon donburi 7.50
1 yasaiitame (pakchoi& greens) 3.95
service charge 2.24 (removed begrudgingly upon request)