One of our dining club had noticed this place at the top of Barnet High Street before it becomes Hadleigh. It is a small place with a main claim of having a Japanese grill, which you can see just beyond the entrance. They have a fairly helpful web site on www.sokorestaurant.com . This is helpful except it does not give an exact address and some of the menu information is slightly inaccurate.
When we booked, the staff seemed uncertain if they served wine, but they have a decent enough wine and drink list when you get there. The staff are a mixed bunch, as are most restaurants these days, and I am unsure of the Asian provenance of most of them, but never mind.
At 7.30 on a Saturday, we were the only customers, but over the evening it filled up. It is not a big place, and I would not want to turn up there on a Saturday without a booking, but many did.
For starter, I had a grilled chicken gyozo.
I cannot remember exactly or find on the on-line menu what I had for main, but essentially it was a teriyaki style fillet beef in a hot sauce. This was tasty and hot, and scored a 9 on the CHOF scale. I enjoyed it, and also had a taste of my wife's seafood and rice, which was excellent.
Service was a bit hit and miss, with the first of our party of 5 being served a good 15 minutes before the last, but may be that shows it was freshly cooked. The staff just seemed a little confused of what was expected of them.
Reviews elsewhere of this restaurant have been mixed: people either love it or hate it. I fall in the middle, in that I would not rush to go back there, but would not say no if it came up again. I would probably choose something different to eat.
A meal for two including drink came to just over £60 which is fairly representative.
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