WHAT? Food fads come and go, but cooking your own dinner on a hot stone never gets boring (for us, anyway). So we were delighted to get wind of Hot Stone Steak & Sushi, a tiny restaurant serving up big flavours a couple of minutes’ walk from Angel tube station.

Here the focus is on high-quality meats and fish, their curation lovingly guided by head chef Padam Raj Rai – former head sushi chef at Tsukiji restaurant in Mayfair’s Westbury Hotel. Chalking up experience in the kitchens of Nobu, Zuma, and Sake no Hana, you can expect Rai’s food to be excellent, with emphasis on freshness and cutting-edge flavours.

We began with a plate of edamame beans and what else but a signature dish, the Crunchy Hot Stone roll: King prawn tempura, white mayo, crunchy tempura flakes and Teriyaki sauce presented beautifully.

Next, classic chicken yakitori served with homemade cumin sauce followed by a plate of seared butterfish sashimi (otherwise known as white tuna), served with a punchy truffle onion ponzu salsa. The star of the show, though, the soft shell crab roll, sweet, juicy claws stuffed into each end packed with flavours.

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On the Stone side of things, there’s a choice of rump, salmon, tuna, Japanese Waygu beef or a seafood mixture of scallops, king prawns, tuna and salmon – all to served with butter and a choice of sauce. We plumped for the premium Waygu (when in Angel!), paired with a side of kimchi and tangy tomato chilli dip. Meltingly soft meat melded with the butter just so for a truly velvety texture, with the added fun of cooking your meat exactly as you’d like it. We’d highly recommend this place, the only negative being a slim choice of non-alcoholic beverages for non-drinkers. Add some juices and virgin cocktails to the menu and this sweet little place is quite perfect.

INFO: 9 Chapel Market, Angel, Islington, N1 9EZ / Mon – Closed, Tuesday-Friday 5:30-10pm | Sat & Sun 12-3pm (Lunch) 5:30-10pm (Dinner)

WEBSITE: Hotstonelondon.com