When I started travelling outside the US, I realised a lot of people ask the concierge for recommendations when staying at a hotel. But I always go to the person working behind the front desk and ask, ‘Where would you go for dinner?’ They’ll usually recommend something fancy, and I say, ‘No, where would you go when you get off work tonight, when you just want food that you love?’ And their demeanour totally changes. They give you something that’s a personal recommendation, and it’s always great.
If I were the person behind that counter in London, I’d give you a recommendation for a hole in the wall in Greenwich. It’s one of my favourite places I’ve ever discovered, and I did so by accident. You’d easily walk past and miss it. It’s a family-owned, Japanese fusion restaurant called Zaibatsu. It’s neither big nor expensive, but it should be. Two people can eat a full meal there for maybe £15. Yet, it serves the most amazing food every single time I go, and has fast, friendly and helpful service.
If you sit in there, it’s so tiny that you might be put on the two-person table right next to the kitchen. I hesitate to reveal it, because it’s such a good secret. It’s outstanding. Most locals just get takeaways from it. It’s one of those places that serves the local area… really well. Greenwich is full of family-owned places like that. It’s a little bit more of an elevated area and has an interesting mix. There’s a wealthy part. So, even though the high street doesn’t feel as polished as others, they’re serving a clientele that has a certain level of expectation. That’s why you can get the local, cheap and cheerful café or restaurant there, and this particular one is stellar.
Zaibatsu, 96 Trafalgar Road, London SE10 9UW; zaibatsufusion.co.uk
You can follow Dan Rubin on Instagram at @danrubin; danrubin.is
Photography by Lee Osborne
