When it comes to Japanese cuisine, our ideal lies somewhere between Nobu (too expensive) and Boots (do we really need to explain our fear of eating raw fish from a chemist?)

Resting freshly in the middle: Watatsumi, just opened on the ground floor of The Club Quarters Hotel in Trafalgar Square. Head chef Peter Makohus (trained at Nobu and Buddha Bar) brought with him some favourite contemporary dishes (miso black cod, tuna tataki in ponzu sauce) but left behind the extortionate prices.

Score a perch at the bar (no reservation necessary) for top-quality sushi, sashimi and tartare (Wagyu beef, tuna, yellowtail) seasoned with chilli ponzu or wasabi soy or wrapped in cucumber sheets.

Lunch includes a selection of udon soups perfect for stewy weather and an omakase tasting menu. Two ideal options.

Watatsumi, in The Club Quarters Hotel, 7 Northumberland Avenue, WC2N 5BY (020 7036 8522 or watatsumi.co.uk).

Photo: Courtesy of Watatsumi