"Given it’s just a five-minute stroll from one of London’s most notorious hells in Highbury Corner, there’s something very therapeutic about Kissa Wa Café. Cups of coffee in handmade ceramics are brought to tables outside, bowls of udon in a gentle but umami-rich broth are slurped, and weary parents exhale as a couple of slices of Basque cheesecake are put down for everyone to share. The Japanese cafe has a slow, deliberate way about it, and what comes out of the kitchen focuses on being satisfying rather than anything out of this world. There are plenty of tables in and out for a solo weekday lunch or a Saturday morning post-run catch-up. For something that’s good-value on-the-go, Kissa Wa’s enormous handmade onigiri will tide you over. Food Rundown photo credit: Jake Missing Soba Noodles This udon features gooey aubergine slices and puffed tofu, topped with a sprinkling of shichimi togarashi, in a light, salty soy-based broth. It's a really nice bowl to chew and slurp on. Onigiri Kissa Wa's handmade onigiri are seriously chunky and a fine snack if you need a quick something to fill you up. The chicken teriyaki and smoked mackerel fillings are totally fine, but nothing special." - Jake Missing
