I ate at Bristol's newest Japanese restaurant and there was an unexpected highlight

There is a lot of options to choose from

I am an increasingly big lover of Asian food. From the flavours to the textures, it is completely different to what I grew up eating in Barcelona.

Living in Bristol, it is certainly the perfect place to familiarise yourself with this cuisine and it feels many of the new openings the city has had recently where in this field - including the mouth-watering Clouds, the delicious Wangs and the already acclaimed Dongnae.

And, opening it is doors at the end of March, there is now another opening in the city; Niji, a new Japanese restaurant along Union Street in the city centre.

Having started its journey at the Galleries in 2023, the restaurant has now relocated and promises to offer sushi and sashimi that are prepared daily, among others.

The moment we walked in, I was surprised by the size of the restaurant; it is much bigger than it looks from the outside. With only a few tables busy at 6pm, my first impression when we visited early on a Friday was that of a spacious, calm and serene restaurant.

The menu was extensive, but clear, as it should be, and we decided to share to give us the option to try as much as we can.

The first item to arrive was the Japanese fried chicken - which was the unexpected meal highlight for me. It was so crispy and the sauce it was served with had the right amount of heat, being simply delicious.

Everything else was also quick to come out, and everything looked so beautiful.

We were impressed by the salmon Maki rolls, which came with a generous portion of salmon and tasted fresh, like everything else. We both appreciated the generous amount of pickled ginger that came with these.

We also ordered the Ebi rolls which comprised of deep fried shrimp, avocado, fish roe and mayo, and the vegetable tempura set, which consisted of battered aubergine, sweet potato, pumpkin and baby sweet corn.

The salmon poke bowl - with salmon, cucumber, sweetcorn, spring onion, avocado, red onion and rice - was the perfect finisher for the meal. This felt like just the right amount of food.

We finished our meals with a couple of desserts, including mochi and doriyaki.

With fierce competition in the Asian restaurant market in Bristol, it won't be easy for Niji to stand out from the crowd. However, it is totally a good addition to the Bristol city centre offering.