Mummy-daughter lunch dates are the best; give me a great lunch with my mum with a glass or two of wine any day and I'll be the happiest gal there is. After a few days of exploring central London last week, we decided to try somewhere closer to home and so booked a table at Nikkei restaurant, Mommi.
As a huge fan of both Japanese and Peruvian cuisine I've wanted to try Nikkei cuisine, which is a mix of the two, for quite a while. Whilst Chotto Matte is also on my list (okay, it's really high up on my list), I love a local favourite, and so opted to book a table at Mommi.
Though it might not look huge from the outside we were both pleasantly surprised that the restaurant is light, spacious and plays home to some gorgeous booths (I've got my eye on them for my next visit!) as well as an open Robata grill and sushi bar, much like at ROKA.
As we were visiting on a Sunday we chose from the brunch menu as against the classic lunch menu. If you're looking for your weekend egg or pancake fix Mommi will happily look after you, but mum and I chose from the raw selection.
First up for us was the beef fillet, daikon and lemon tataki. The beef, flame seared and served with ponzu dressing and truffle oil, was a real delight.
Beautiful, flavourful chunks of beef that were paired perfectly with the sharp dressing.
Though slightly too large for one bite portions (not that I'm complaining!), which made for a lot of giggles as mum and I indelicately enjoyed this dish!
We ordered two of the chirashi sucshi dishes: seasoned sushi rice bowls, served with raw meat or fish, sesame, ginger and kampyo.
The first was the salmon served with avocado, red onion and ikura which was both beautiful and delicious.
All the dishes are served with edible flowers which makes for beautifully presented dishes, something that I'm always impressed by.
I loved the thick avocado and salmon, though what really made this dish my favourite of the day was the ikura.
Our second sushi dish was the tuna: served with aji amarillo creme fraiche, coriander and kizami nori.
Though I really enjoyed this dish, too, I felt it was a little light on tuna, and could have done with a little more of that beautiful fish.
The creme fraiche was certainly a different addition, and though I enjoyed it I think there was a little much.
Feeling that we wanted to try some of the Peruvian offerings, we ordered the sea bass ceviche which was served with sweet potato and Choclo Pisco Sour. As Pisco Sours are one of my favourite cocktails I was so excited to try this dish.
I loved the sour, tart taste of the dish as well as the delicious fresh fish. The tart flavours made a great contrast from the dishes that we had had so far.
Finally, we opted for the mixed sashimi (mainly as we couldn't decide which sashimi we wanted!)
Served with generous portions of ginger and wasabi, which mum was very excited about, were three pieces of salmon, tuna and sea bass.
Beautifully presented, as always at Mommi, it was a great end to our meal. Not the best sashimi I've had in London, but for the price (£5) I was impressed with the offering.
Though it did lead to all three pieces being cut in two as we both wanted a piece of the action!
Clapham, from what I've seen so far, doesn't have the same variety in restaurants that central London has, so I was really pleased to discover Executive Chef Paul Sowden's exciting restaurant. It seems that no matter the occasion that you want to celebrate, there's something for you.
From movie and Mommi - a £20 deal offering you dinner and a movie at Clapham Picturehouse - to bottomless bubbles at Brunch, there's bound to be something for you.
It was at this point that I discovered something serious about Mummy H: she had never had churros. I know.
I made sure that this was sorted ASAP.
Warm, cinnamon covered delights, served in a gorgeous copper mug, with Dolce de Leche chocolate cream. Well, they were just what we wanted to finish our meal with.
I couldn't resist a snap of the serious #chocolateporn that this was.
You know the feeling at the end of a meal when you're given the bill and all you think is that the restaurant wants rid of you? Well, worry not. Instead of the traditional and overdone mints along with your bill, Mommi gives you a little handcrafted Worry Doll to help you sleep well tonight. It's the little touches in restaurants that make them what they are.
Mommi is a wonderful place for those who don't want to splash the cash but want to enjoy Nikkei cuisine. Sometimes it isn't just about the food; it's about sharing an experience with someone and that's exactly what Mommi did for us at our Mummy-Daughter lunch.
