Owner Motoko Priestman is originally from the southern Japanese city of Osaka, where people rarely eat sushi. Moving to Dulwich, she began cooking for a living in a jazz club in Camberwell Church Street before touring festivals and street markets. She found a niche around Spitalfields and Brick Lane specialising in fried rice cakes (yaki onigiri) and okonomiyaki.
She had built up a loyal following by the time she came to Brixton to eat at fellow Brick Lane trader Paola Sibilla’s new restaurant Casa Sibilla, and fell instantly in love with Brixton Village. Okan opened in June 2011 and is one of the most memorable units in the market with its beautiful paper lanterns and koi carp hanging from the ceiling. It often has queues outside, especially for the okonomiyaki.
