Koi

This review appears in the The List's Eating & Drinking Guide 2008 – in the shops now or buy online.

For those who enjoy dinner with a dash of drama, Koi is definitely the place. Whether the front-of-house chef is playing with fire, juggling kitchen utensils or tossing morsels for diners to catch in their mouths, this is a restaurant that wants to have fun. Teppanyaki ('hotplate grilled') dishes are the speciality, with diners sitting around a large communal table and watching as the meat or seafood is fried under their very noses. The extrovert chef's flamboyant showmanship draws all in to the entertainment so it's great for parties, especially when fuelled by a Japanese lager, Suntory whisky or one of the nine sakes. Shrinking violets, however, might wish, when booking, to specify one of the smaller, more sedate sushi tables, where teppanyaki can also be had but without the spectacle. There's a standard sushi, sashimi and noodle menu too, but once away from the fiery distractions the cooking languishes in both taste and temperature, and the rather average array of dishes evinces none of the flair of the teppanyaki table. But Koi embraces the boisterous side of modern Japanese cuisine: if it's partying and pizazz you're after, a good time might indeed be had by all.

• High point: Dazzling theatrics
• Low point: Disappointing tastes