Recently, my flatmate and I came to the conclusion that 90% of our conversations are about food. Having moved to a flat on the other side of the Meadows, the first few days after moving in I was almost always saying “Clea, we have to try this place”.
Naturally, after working at a local Japanese restaurant this summer, I experienced strong sushi withdrawal symptons – no more free sushi for me at university. After lots of googling, I found Bentoya. It is a well-rated, neat little restaurant located on Bread Street near Usher Hall on Lothian Road.
It has a wide selection of sushi rolls, rice, noodles, bento boxes (with a lunch deal of £6.90-7.90) and desserts – including green tea, sesame and red bean ice cream, or banana tempura if you are even feeling adventurous!
Honestly, I was overwhelmed by the menu – I was struggling not to order everything off the menu.
The prices are student friendly, with hot main meals averaging at £7 – you have the choice of choosing chicken, pork, duck, seafood or tempura – amongst others – with your rice or noodles. If you decide to go with sushi, be prepared to dish out a bit more money, though the sushi prices are a lot cheaper than most sushi restaurants in Edinburgh, and the salmon I had tasted fresh and authentic. I also tried the takoyaki (octopus balls) off the starters menu, which exceeded my expectations, and the soft shell crab roll which was just enough to make me feel stuffed.
There are also a few vegetarian options, including the vegetable bento box set, and starters including sweet potato croquette and aubergine goma. The staff are very sweet and pleasant, although service can be extremely slow, but the bill comes with no service charge, so be sure to leave a tip if you end up enjoying your meal as much as I did.
Image Credit: Alexander C. @ Yelp