Tsunami

Turned up at the restaurant tonight having heard great things about the venue. Unfortunately we were kept waiting at the door whilst the waitress finished putting paper napkins in a draw and then had the cheek to ask us "what can I do for you?" without even looking at us. "Perhaps a table or even a little common courtsey might be nice" crossed my mind.

Having been seated my partner and I were so upset with the first impression and having stayed for a few minutes found the atmosphere quite oppressive, we got up and left so I'm unable to comment on the food, however, I was not prepared to spend that kind of money and resent every mouthful.
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RL
Overall rating
Food 5 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 5
Sunday, March 29, 2009

My partner took me to Tsunami last year for Valentine's Day and we both really loved the sushi. Therefore, when my partner told me he was going to take me out to Tsunami again I was really looking forward to it.

We ordered x2 Jalapeno Yellowtail Sashimi because we loved it so much from last year, BUT we were so disappointed because the sashimi pieces have been cut too thick and there wasn't enough of the Jalapeno sauce so it was very plain and it wasn't tasty like it should melt in your mouth.

Again, we ordered Soft shell crab roll which from my previous experience was very tasty but this time it was normal. We ordered Tobiko Nigris, Salmon & Tuna Sashimi which were nice but normal like other places.

This time, we ordered Char-Grilled Lamb with wasabi peppercorn sauce which was really tasty. I wasn't looking forward to this dish because I don't like the taste of lamb because it's strong. However, I was shocked that I really enjoyed this dish because the lamb was soft and with the wasabi creamy sauce you couldn't taste the wasabi until right at the end. There were a few slices of mushroom which I used to soak up all the wasabi sauce because it was that tasty!

I ordered my favorite japanese drink - Calpico (sweet milky yogurt-ish) and I didn't enjoy it because I think they used sparkling water to make it with so it was like flat Calpico Soda.

The service and the atmosphere were reasonable.

I don't think my partner will be taking me to Tsunami again because it is expensive, otherwise we would only go there for that one dish - char-grilled lamb with wasabi sauce!
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Eve
Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 4 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 3
Thursday, March 12, 2009

Went there last week and it was a big disappointment. The service and atmosphere were well below what we were expecting, very loud place overall. Wanna be posh restaurant for cheap pretentious Londoners! Felt completely ripped off. Nigiris are small and expensive for the taste…food is very much westernised, décor is not Japanese…not a place to go if you want authentic Japanese food. It is not at all inspiring food and not well presented. Food also came very quick, which made me wonder on whether not everything was ready made in the kitchen! The quality of food, taste and service does NOT justify the premium on the menu. Overall disappointed, there are definitely better places for Japanese food in London!
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Lili
Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 1 | Value for money 3
Thursday, February 12, 2009

Tsunami is a simple restaurant offering proficient but hardly inspiring food to a local crowd.

On my visit the Maître de was exceptionally accomodating and waiting staff attentive and helpful.
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Cornell
Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 6
Monday, November 10, 2008

People complain about dish pacing too much. you are in Japanese restaurant, what do you expect? It's fun eating like that, I think. There should certainly be gap for hot and cold dishes, but bringing different dishes, especially sushi, is something they do in Japan anyhow.

I think it's a good restaurant. Unfortunately, it's the sad truth that in any restaurant there are a couple of servers who aren't as good as the others, like mentioned below about the waiter not able to pronounce the dishes- may be he's new? So long as he was not rude or luck of commitment to the job, we should all be understandable on how hard their job is.

I certainly enjoyed my dinner here. The flambeed scallop was delicious and my waitress was lovely and hard working.
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Lili Jones
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 8
Sunday, August 24, 2008

After hearing some good things from friends about this place, I was really looking forward to lunch here. I really shouldn't have gotten my hopes up.

With regards to the food, it's uninspiring to say the least. One of our party ordered oyako-don, which came out as a pile of teriyaki chicken on top of dry rice - not at all what it's meant to be (or even close). The waiter couldn't pronounce half of the dishes, which along with his surly demeanor didn't exactly give us a lot of confidence for the rest of the meal. The service, overall, was some of the worst that I've ever experienced in a restaurant that's meant to be of a good standard. The pacing of dishes coming out was just awful - I don't care what they say about dishes coming out "when they're ready". Having a main of sushi coming out after everyone else has finished their hot mains in inexcusable.

This is really not someplace that I'd consider going to again, especially when much better Japanese (both traditional and modern) can be had at any number of places around the city with better service and prices. Avoid at all costs.
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CS
Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 2
Monday, August 18, 2008

The food was certainly better than expected but why the kitchen sends out one plate every 10 minutes is beyond me. Some of the tempura was not only tasteless but unidentifiable. Might go back if kitchen was more efficient and waiting staff, although pleasant enough, knew what they were doing. One of our plates was taken away as there were not enough vegetables in it so had to wait another 10 minutes for it to come back. Not the place to go if you are hungry.
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Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 4
Saturday, August 02, 2008

Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful! I have been reading negative reviews about this place and have to agree that service can be a bit slow when the restaurant is busy, but it happens mostly everywhere. We went for dinner last night and were 90 minutes late, still got a fantastic table and brilliant service. Shame the oyster tempura is off the menu, but lobster parcels are divine! Lychee mojitos and martinis are superb and salmon terijaki is melting in your mouth!!! Definitely our favourite place in Clapham and our favourite Japanese in London and we will be coming back very soon.
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Alex Bearman-Kossykh
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Thursday, July 24, 2008

Good food. My husband and I went there for an early Sunday lunch, mindful of the reviews indicating that service and food quality both deteriorate during busy times. By the time we left at 2.30pm Sunday the restaurant was only half full so we had no complaints about the friendly service or the speed with which we received our various dishes.

We were delighted with the food, particularly the black cod with sweet miso, the shrimp tempura and the sizzling teriyaki beef (which we would request rare next time - it was a little overcooked). The £10 set lunch is excellent value, even with the £2 surcharge for the beef teriyaki. A woman eating alone rejected her beef teriyaki and she was dealt with both quickly and politely, receiving a different dish as a replacement.

The green tea ice cream was definitely as good as Nobu in New York, which (so far) has served the best green tea ice cream we've ever had.
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Exotissima
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 7
Sunday, June 15, 2008

I've got a real problem with pretentious restuarants and Tsunami is a case in point. Nice decor but the food and the service doesn't justify the premium prices on the menu.

I went in with my partner for some sashimi and a teriyaki dish and we were there for 3 hours as it took ages for each dish to arrive. The couple next to us gave up on ordering a main after their starter - it was just taking too long and the staff weren't giving us any feedback on the status of our order either. Food (when it did make an appearance) was coming in bit by bit which made me upset as I want to enjoy my food at the same time as my partner.

The food was nice but didn't justify the premium prices and the restaurant had the nerve to charge us a service fee which I immediately requested a refund on.

At the end of the evening I was still hungry and the only option available was a kebab - nothing else was open.

There are better Japanese restaurants out there.
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Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 1
Monday, May 19, 2008