Try out sushi with a twist washed down and the best caipirinhas

Admittedly, my first reaction to Brazilian and Japanese infused cuisine was a mixture of curiosity and scepticism.

I am a sushi novice and as a former vegetarian, recently turned pescetarian, I thought this would be the perfect exotic plunge into the world of raw fish - and boy was I right.

Temakinho in Old Comptom Street, Soho looks fairly modest on the outside, but if you take the time to stop for a second and peer through the large windows, you are taken into a secret paradise with hanging monkeys, soft Latin America music and palm leaf patterned walls.

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This may sound like some sort of weird 70s decor but don’t worry, it actually works and after spending an evening there, it is safe to say that Temakinho lives up to its description as the “tropical eden in the heart of Soho’s jungle”.

After a warm welcome from the restaurant’s manager Laura, we were left in the capable hands of an incredibly sweet waitress, Annalisa, who knew every detail of the menu back to front.

This was very helpful as my boyfriend and I probably looked like lost puppies as soon as we opened the Japanese menu which was written entirely in Portuguese.

Sushi tacos and mini scallop pastries washed down with a ice cold caipirinha - yes please! (Image: Isabel Dobinson)

In all honesty, we didn’t know what to expect - was the menu going to be a steak and sushi themed?

Temakinho has got it 100% right. The menu is not over complicated and the decision to stick with Japanese cuisine with subtle hints of Brazilian flavours meant we were faced with a creative list of the most exotic sushi we have ever seen - no exaggeration.

Throughout the evening we were continually wowed by the sheer skill and inventiveness behind each of the dishes, from the textures, ingredient combinations and explosions of unusual flavours.

To start our culinary adventure, we ordered three dishes, including a yellowtail tartar - a food which throughout my life I have been dubious about but within one lime and ginger infused spoonful, all my previous scepticism disappeared.

‘Tacos de floripa’, a dish made up of six mini tacos topped with salmon, tuna, octopus, red drum, scallop and lobster with spicy guacamole were tiny mouthfuls of glory while our favourite dish was the ‘maresia’ - a crunchy roll packed full of avocado and cream cheese, topped with scallops, passion fruit and cachaça sauce.

Following our delicious introduction into the exotic world of Brazilian and Japanese cuisine, we were served a plate of three different kinds of sushi, including a lime and mint caviar topped tuna and yellowtail roll with mango and a salmon and avocado tartar sprinkled with crunchy almond flakes and flying fish roe.

Our favourite main dish was the salmao camarao roll wrapped around breaded prawn, raw salmon with a sweet and sour sauce and spicy mayonnaise - delicious!

You can see where I am going with this. Even just reading the creative combination of ingredients, you can imagine the skill required to invent and deliver such a show-stopping menu.

The creativity was also reflected the attention to detail when it came to the presentation as each dish, which were scattered with handpicked wildflowers.

Admittedly the desserts, as tasty as they were, were less impressive. But this was to be expected as I doubt many people come to Temakinho and choose a chocolate pudding over a crunchy prawn and salmon sushi roll.

So, where does the strong Brazilian element come to play?

Throughout the evening we sipped on the most amazing caipirinhas which complimented the Japanese food perfectly.

Of course, as Brazil’s national cocktail, it was going to be good and we tried every flavour on the menu including classical, goiaba, mango and maracuja which was topped with spicy red peppercorns.

We finished the night with a VERY alcoholic shot of cedilla, a 500 year-old marinated liquor. Despite being packed full of sweet berry flavours, I was unable to re-live my university shotting days and struggled to finish half of the tiny glass.

All in all, we left very happy and very full reviewers and after entering Temakinho as sushi novices, we left as sushi snobs (no more Sainsbury's sushi selections for us…)

What’s even better is that Temakinho is the first restaurant chain in the world to boast a ‘friend of the sea’ certification which meant, as a former veggie I was able to indulge in delicious sushi with a clear conscious!