One of the most frequent questions asked in the Cambridge Foodies is where to find a good sushi/Japanese restaurant.
Naturally, when you think of sushi in Cambridge, you think of all the big names like ‘Sticks & Sushi’ or ‘Kibou’. One place that often gets overlooked however, is Japas on Saxon Street.
I can understand why. It is tucked away heading towards the outskirts of the city (at the end of Fen Causeway). You can walk or drive past it numerous times and not notice it at all.
Click here for the exact location.
🅿️ Free parking outside after 18:30.
The restaurant is stylish with a strong Japanese identity. Travelling across Japan myself many years ago, I lost count at the number of restaurants that looked just like this. There is a fish tank overlooking the downstairs section of the restaurant that really adds a melodic vibe to the evening. Speaking of vibe, the restaurant is a very relaxed place to be. Even when it filled up, the restaurant had a calm dignified silence that made it really easy to talk.
Out of all the Japanese restaurants in the city, this was my favourite one to sit in.
The menu is massive with a wide selection of authentic Japanese dishes (think, sushi, ramen noodles, etc). There is also a selection of bottled Japanese beer, with all the usual classics. I ordered the Sapporo which came to just over £5 for a bottle.
Each table comes with an order form to write down the dishes you want. This simplifies the ordering process and reduce mistakes. In classic Simon fashion, I wrote everything down wrong and had to start again because I never read things properly (I can hear my wife laughing at me right now). So, pay attention!
We started off with tempura king prawns and some chicken nuggets. I don’t recall actually ordering the chicken nuggets but whatever, I ate them anyway 🤷♂️
The tempura king prawns were lovely, light, and crispy (but most importantly, well cooked). They weren’t as meaty as some of the other ones I have had in the past but were perfectly executed, nonetheless.
The chicken nuggets were big and juicy, with a crisp coating that came with a hint of ginger(?). If I had to guess, I would say it was chicken thigh meat in the nugget. I am a big fan and would likely order them again.
Sushi time 🍣
We ordered a variety of sushi from their menu. It all came out in a reassuring amount of time (not too quickly but also not too long).
Our order was as follows…
🍣 California rolls
🍣 Grilled eel nigiri
🍣 Volcano rolls
🍣 Salmon hosomaki
🍣 Duck uramaki
🍣 Salmon Sandwich
The duck uramaki was one of my favourite dishes of the evening.
These are inside-out sushi rolls that came in a platter of 6. The first thing I noticed is how much bigger the rolls are than at Kibou (even though they only claim to be medium size). The crispy duck was complimented with cucumber for an added and very satisfying crunch and the thick teri aki sauce on top added a proud unapologetic flavour.
I was joined by Cambridge Foodie and a long time friend, Olivia, who encouraged (forced) me to try the grilled eel nigiri. I have always been a bit funny with eel (despite being a proud Ely boy) but I decided to give it a go and was pleasantly surprised. We ordered two portions giving us a total of four and needless to say, they didn’t last long.
Thank you, Olivia. You were right! 🙄
Next, was the ‘bread and butter’ of sushi – salmon hosomaki.
These are well known for being less extravagant than their sushi brethren but serve as an important purpose in value and humility. I found these to be acceptable and well executed for hosomaki, though I have certainly had better on my travels. I found them to be a little thin but the salmon ratios were good, which made up for it.
Next up, was the ‘salmon sandwich’. We had ordered this out of curiosity, as I had never heard of anything like this before.
It consists of cooked salmon in sushi style rice, tempura batter and served with a teri aki sauce. It doesn’t say it on the menu but I think it was deep fried too.
This was another favourite of mine. It pulled off a perfect balance of texture, with the crispy tempura shell that complimented the juicy salmon and soft rice in the centre. The batter gave it a bold indulgent flavour and the balance of rice to salmon ratio was again, excellent.
The dish was around £12 but you are given 8 pieces that are all significantly larger than one of their medium sushi rolls, so it was a good deal and something a bit different.
I highly recommend giving it a try.
We ended our sushi feast with some futomaki ‘volcano rolls’. These are large spicy sushi rolls wrapped in crab sticks and avocado. This is then deep fried in crispy tempura batter and topped off with Korean style kimchi flavoured salmon tartare.
I thought these were exceptional. They were beautifully presented, tasted fantastic, had an exciting and diverse texture in the mouth. It even had a mild kick for added excitement. The sushi rolls are quite large and with 8 in a serving, they are perfect to share (or mindlessly indulge to yourself).
Dessert
We ended the night by sharing a portion of ice cream. By sharing, I mean Olivia sat here and watched me eat it all to myself.
There are three dessert options; home-made green tea ice cream, deep fried green tea ice cream, and a Japanese rice cake.
We…I ordered the home-made green tea ice cream. A smooth and subtly flavoured ice cream that really complimented the sushi with its delicacy. This isn’t something that is going to blow your socks off with flavour but offer a creamy and refreshing end to a satisfying meal. The portion was also big enough to share between two people, even though I didn’t. 😂
Conclusion
In my opinion, Japas offers the truest and most authentic Japanese dining experiences in Cambridge. There is everything you could want from their vast menu and all our dishes tonight were either at or beyond our expectations.
The service was prompt and efficient, though a little distant. If you are looking for a more personal and warm interaction with your dining experience then this may not be the place for you. This is easily made up by the restaurants character, that is atmospheric, beautifully decorated, and a welcome reminder of some of the places I visited in Japan during my travels.
This takes away nothing from the other quality sushi joints in the city of Cambridge but Japas may very well be my new favourite.
I’ll certainly be recommending it more!
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