We came here on a Groupon, which I don't tend to do anymore because (ironically) I feel like sometimes restaurants treats you worse with vouchers, etc. I admit I was surprised a place like this offered Groupons but saw that it had a lot of good reviews so it was worth a shot.
We arrived and were greeted right away, our jackets taken and let to our table immediately (we surrendered our Groupon at the hostess table which I liked because then you don't have to do the somewhat awkward motion of pulling out a piece of paper at the table). My one criticism is that as we were being led to our table a guy jumped out from behind the bar and asked if we didn't want to have a cocktail before sitting down. It was odd because we were already being led to our table and it just felt out of place. We declined.
Once seated, we were promptly given the tasting menu as well as wine list. I ordered a glass of Rioja which was good and priced well (around £7.50 for a large glass). The decor is great, all blue, white, and red and with quirky features such as a bowler hat for lamp shades on the side tables. It's tastefully done for the most part thought there are large flat screen tvs on the back walls which show a loop of images of beaches and exotic places and I don't really think they're necessary or all that nice.
The food arrived quickly, each course usually before we finished or right after we finished the last, which was nice.
The calamari we had for the first course was some of the best we've had - perfectly seasoned, crispy, light, and flavorful.
The second course I had the fried prawn which was good but not outstanding (and probably not a good choice after just having had something else fried) but the pork belly my partner ordered was outstanding! Melt in your mouth texture with excellent seasoning and flavor.
Then we had miso soup, which was filling and good.
Next came the sashimi which was very good - the cuts of fish were good sized (not skimpy and thin) and the flavor was excellent, clearly very fresh. The presentation was nice, as well, with the sashimi arranged around a martini glass and with excellent little dots of flavor such as black truffle (something I've never considered with sashimi!), chili, etc.
After that came the sushi which was a collection of rolls and nigiri. It was also great - flavorful, well presented, and very enjoyable.
Finally we had dessert which I didn't have very high hopes for as a) I'm not a dessert person and b) Japanese restaurants don't usually have desserts that interest me very much. The dessert was great though, a nice mix of rich cream, fresh fruit, and macaroons.
At one point we requested our Prosecco as I think they usually serve it with dessert and we wanted to toast with it earlier.
Service charge was on the price of the voucher (not the original price) and was 12.5% which we were happy with as the service was very good. Food was served quickly, waiters were very attentive, and everything was cleared away swiftly.
All in all I highly recommend this restaurant although I would say go with the Groupon as it seems like most people there do. The tasting menu is excellent and well worth it. We left feeling very satisfied and happy. read more