Nagomi - Review - Cheltenham - Cotswolds - The Infatuation

"The Regency townhouse in which this Japanese-Korean restaurant is housed is sensible and serious—Nagomi isn’t. Tabletop BBQ grills and big comfy booths cry out for groups, and a collection of Dragon Ball Z figurines stands sentry on counters. Elsewhere a Studio Ghibli No-Face poster looks on as the friendly owner initiates first-timers with three rules: “share, slurp, and burp”. We broke the first rule within 20 minutes after declaring a stacked tray of excellent Seoul fried chicken to be a “personal portion”. The food is tasty, but while the slap and sizzle of wagyu hangar steaks hitting hot plates is like a siren call at this laid-back spot, don’t neglect the small plates like the okonomiyaki roll and that moreish fried chicken. They’re some of our favourite things here. photo credit: Sinéad Cranna Food Rundown Seoul Fried Chicken (Honey Garlic) This chicken is glistening. The honey garlic is the perfect sweet, slightly bitter, moreish glaze. But it’s all about the crunch. It didn’t quite reverberate through space and time. But also, it basically does. photo credit: Sinéad Cranna Okonomiyaki Roll This is a rolled take on a typical okonomiyaki. But the benefit is it’s easier to portion and absolutely filled to the brim with sweet chewy sausage and crunchy cabbage. photo credit: Sinéad Cranna Kimchi Jjigae Unfortunately the stew is a bit bland, as are the slightly tough pieces of pork. photo credit: Sinéad Cranna Topokki The thick sauce, deep and umami, is in a co-dependent relationship with the chewy rice cakes—clinging to one another, never to be parted. It’s very comforting and there’s a nice balance of spiciness and sweetness. photo credit: Sinéad Cranna Pumpkin Korokke Sweet, fluffy, crunchy, deep-fried vegetables are always going to be pretty good. This won’t blow you away, but it’s not objectionable. photo credit: Sinéad Cranna" - Sinéad Cranna