The Araki

Superb experience, so far one of the best sushi experience I have had in my life!! Really intimate atmosphere, which I really enjoyed and excellent food and service. The Otoro was my highlight and the extra otoro temaki at the end I also loved it. The sake we tried was also fabulous, I plan on visiting their brewery in Japan next time I go again! Highly recommend it.

Foods were good as expected. The squid nigiri was the best in my life. That was a surprise. Their sushi rice is very delicate and well prepared. Not too sweet or sour, which is a big difference from other sushi restaurant. Chefs were good performers but one apprentice placed a knife on the counter with the sharp side facing me, which is a really bad manner for Japanese. The main chef corrected her there, though. She might not be Japanese as it is a common sense in Japan. Since we are in London, I don’t blame that seriously. The waiters can be trained a bit better as I felt they were just part timer students. That might be because of their clothes. Overall the experience was great and we enjoyed the foods. After seeing the chef’s replies to bad reviews, I wanted to remove some stars. And they said Japanese people don’t want to hear anything about sushi from non Japanese chefs. It is not true and I felt offended by that. The foods price was fair for the central locations but I did not like their attitudes. They thought they were discriminated but it is their delusion. If they are confident with their service, they would not say that. I was expecting chef Araki was there but I did not get disappointed but after I heard the discriminating comments on Japanese, I did not think the restaurant is not good enough to serve people.

It is indeed undisputable, tonight is not just dining, it is simply an unforgettable experience. Every sushi served for the night brings you surprises and a discovery of a well blended mix of taste and texture. And as the chef shared, the finishing will always be completed with the original taste of the main ingredient. Simply awesome and a must for a return!

My fiancé made the booking to surprise me on my Birthday and I love every bit of it, the food, the experience, the service and the atmosphere. The fish were really fresh and each dish was creative and full of favours. However I did leave the place feeling slightly unsatisfied and hungry and for the price point I think I should be at least fuller. The number of nigiris were decent but each sushi were on the smaller side. However it was still an amazing experience, although I don’t think I would go back but would still recommend people if their had extra special occasion or extra dollar to splash out.

The intimacy and staff’s level of service justifies the £300 tasting menu. Not only is this omakase outstanding, it’s an experience you will always remember. Tucked away from the busy streets of London it’s the ultimate special occasion destination. Look forward to their tuna and toro courses and if you have space go for the extra hand roll at the end of the meal.

I came here because I love trying omakases from all over the world, but was disappointed by my experience here. The price tag was not worth it. The course felt like they were just trying to jam expensive/decadent ingredients into a meal. My friend threw up in the middle of the meal. The atmosphere was awkward and the service was lacking. It made me sad to hear that Michelin took away all their stars, but my experience there made the decision seem just.

Look, this is an expensive place to eat and whilst the food alone is absolutely faultless, it probably cannot justify the final bill.... BUT, you are paying for the experience. It is really intimate, you are part of a working kitchen, you see, hear and smell everything that goes on and service is impeccable (as it should be). In these times, I fully understand people balking at the price, the answer though is to not go if it bothers you. It is daft paying upfront then dropping a low rating because it was expensive. Did I enjoy it? 100%, a fantastic memorable experience and, as per above the food was faultless. Would I go again? I'd certainly like to.... It is more of a one off treat though, than anything you could repeat

The food is delicious, and served exquisitely, but we struggle to describe the experience without being blinded by the price of the meal and the feeling of being milked for more money. There were 6 of us, and the restaurant ushered us out within 2 hours due to another booking after us. The waiters assured us that we had finished our wine and sake, but refused to show us the empty bottles. I would like to recommend the restaurant to others, but we paid £500 a head for 6 people for the menu and for the cheapest bottle of wine and sake per head. Including service. I am very disappointed to be negative, but we have left with the over-arching feeling that we have been ripped off at sheer cost of the bill. We feel a fair price would be ~£150-£200/head based on the true value of the wine/sake.