In a corner of Trafalgar Square, The National Cafe sits hidden beneath the National Gallery and you would probably not notice it unless you were looking for it. The cafe itself is housed in an enormous room with very high ceilings. When full, the acoustics bounce around the wall, creating a raucos din. Peyton-Byrne operate this outlet together with the more casual cafe next door.

On this evening,  the first of many Friday Night Socials,  Tsurusushi was the guest “chef”. They offered a 3 course menu with some sake cocktails to match.

The dining room was quite full with over 70 covers and a sense of anticipation was evident. Starters arrived and it was a plate of takoyaki (octopus balls).

This was followed by some sushi.

For main course, it is their best selling Chicken Katsu curry. As some of the tables were communal, we made some new friends and Oliver Peyton came over for a chat and shared some of his single estate Olive oil to taste.

Friday Night Socials are great fun, meet some new people, try some new food and all for a very reasonable price. You won’t get a better deal for a night out in London.

Friday Night Socials are a new initiative at the National Cafe and they will be featuring guest chefs, like Angela Hartnett,  who will be introducing their own menus on the night. At £25 per head which includes wine, it’s a bargain. Get booking early.

You can find Tsurushi at http://www.tsuru-sushi.co.uk/

Slow Food Kitchen was a guest of Tsurusushi at Friday Night Socials.