Mju

We were recently in Mju, and had the January Detox menu.

The sauces/flavours that came with the oysters were very impressive. Probably the most interesting sauce I have had with raw oysters.

The wasabi ice cream that came with the sashimi was interesting. It went very well with the sea bass, but the taste was lost when eaten in conjunction with the tuna.

The chicken broth soup was tasty, but too salty for my companion. She commented that it needed more rice or something to absorb the salty broth.

The wagyu carpaccio had a unique parmesan foam. Never thought foam would be that flavourful.

The lobster linguini was more Italian than Asian fusion, but it was nonetheless tasty.

We arrived early so the service was quite good. The sommelier allowed us to sample 3 sakes before we ordered a bottle, which was a nice touch. By the time we left, the pace of service slowed considerably.

The food was imaginative. The service was generally good. Overall, a pleasant experience and we would return.
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MK
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 7
Tuesday, January 17, 2006

If you think that Mju is ripping you off with its food you really need to eat out more. For the price they charge it is simply amazing that they produce such good quality for the money. We have eaten over the last year at Ramsays, both Hospital Road and Claridges, Gavroche, Aubergine, St Johns, 1880, Pied and Sketch and can quite easily say that without doubt Mju was the second best meal we had, just pipped to the pot by Ramsays at Royal Hosiptal Road. If you want a huge stew then don't go here. If you want to see some great, fresh ingredients, cooked with style then do go here. Yes the room can sometimes be empty but we don't really understand why when the cooking is this good.
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Charles
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 10
Tuesday, January 17, 2006

In one sentence:

DO NOT GO TO THIS OVERPRETENTIOUS MEDIOCRE RESTAURANT!!!

In a couple of paragraphs:

One person's foodie place is another person's overpretentious-lack-of-great-service-and- tiny-portions-restaurant. I went here with my mother who came to visit me in London from abroad on January 14th for the Detox menu of 7 courses for £46 per head. I wanted to show my mom a good time in London and take her out for a great meal. From the start I was already worried that it won't meet out expectations, since it had mixed reviews from previous customers. I sincerely wish I didn't spend that much money on baby-portion food.

The food itself was good, the lobster linguine and the sashimi being very tasty, but the portions were supersmall that even after being forcefully incarcerated by the severely (and I mean SEVERELY) slow service, we were still hungry after sitting there in the restaurant for THREE hours for a SEVEN COURSE dinner! Service was extremely poor; as I said, slow, no refilling of drinks whatsoever unless you ask them over and over again, and when I asked for the wine list, they said a colleague would come and see us, which he never did, even after asking twice about it.

This place does NOT deserve its Michelin star should it EVER get one (I really hope not). The food's good on its own, but a Michelin star restaurant should be able to take care of its customers properly and attentively, including the customer's wish to be full and satisfied after the meal.

After sitting there for THREE hours (from 9 to MIDNIGHT), we were so sick of this mediocre hotel restaurant that we both really do not want to come even near to the Millennium Hotel. After dinner, we rushed back to our hotel and ordered great room service from One Aldwych, which DID satisfy us.

In hindsight, we should have just ordered room service in that marvellous hotel. I recommend everyone who's even THINKING of going to Mju to AVOID this place at all cost. If you have the money to splurge, go to Nobu or Gordon Ramsey instead. Great value for money, great ambience, and most importantly, you will NOT be hungry after the meal.
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Park
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 0
Monday, January 16, 2006

Ate at Mju last night. Fantastic food.
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Andrea Denton
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 7
Thursday, January 12, 2006

I took my boyfriend to Mju to celebrate his birthday. We went on the buy-1-get-1-free 5 course winter detox deal. The food was really good. Extremely varied and unusual. The staff were friendly and attentive. Can't fault the evening. The restaurant was fairly quiet but then it was a Tuesday night in early January when most people are nursing credit card debt hangovers from Christmas! Highly recommend visiting Mju.
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Paula - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 9
Wednesday, January 11, 2006

i have been to mju about 6 times now and rate it as one of the best places for top quality food.

a 9 course degustation menu for under £45?!

each course was high quality and perfectly cooked. oysters, scallops, tuna, salmon, langostines, foie gras, venison, lobster linguine just look at the ingredients they've thrown together for the price they are charging?!! If you come here go for the tasting menu and go for the long ones.

Yes some of the dishes are experiemental but there is no way anyone with some knowledge of cooking would say that the quality of ingredients or the cooking was inadequate. This is a top notching "foodie" place, if you want to go for the atmosphere go somewhere else but if you want to go for michelin star cooking at non-ridiculous price mju is just the ticket.
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sam
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 10
Thursday, December 29, 2005

Was nervously anticipating my visit to Mju after booking a table for my girlfriend and I for our 3 year anniversary. When we arrived the place was less than a quarter full and remained that way throughout our meal. However, what it lacked in atmosphere was more than made up for by the quality of both the food and service. The 9 course chef's menu was without a single bad dish: highlights include saki marinated black cod and tuna sashimi with wasabi ice-cream - ridiculously pretentious but unimaginably good. The wines accompanying each dish were to be fair slightly hit and miss - a particularly delicious Reisling somehow improved the already exceptional black cod, but a dissapointing pino noir and a somewhat experimental grappa rather let the selection down.

Service was impeccable and not in the least bit snobbish as we had feared, but the food really stole the show. Although expensive I don't regret a single penny spent on probably the best meal of my life. Whatever is keeping people away from this place, I urge you to investigate before striking it from your list of places to visit. If my pockets were deep enough, I'd go there tonight
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Greg Sawyer
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 6
Tuesday, December 13, 2005

Having read some the amazing reviews we decided on trying this place as Zuma was fully booked. What a BIG disappointment! We eat out at all kinds of restaurants high class and more casual places. This has got to be one of the worst yet! The staff were very enthusiastic trying their hardest to sell the tasting menu! Having eaten Japanes/french fusion in Japan was very excited about going here. The steak I ordered was so so, have eaten so much better at most other places. For these prices this place needs to sack the chef!! Very bland tasting food and not of good quality for the price.The Japanese do it soo much better! The chocolate souffle was indeed the WORST I have ever tasted DISCUSTING I could'nt even eat it and for me not to be able to eat a chocolate dessert is unheard of. I think whoever gave a good review to this place has not eaten out at many good restaurants in London or anywhere else in the world and dont know any different!!"! In the L.A and NYC there are also many GREAT places serving fantastic Japanese fusion with superb chocolate souffles and half the price of this place!
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Sharon Crane
Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 0 | Value for money 0
Friday, December 09, 2005

I went to Mju on a Saturday night recently with some friends to celebrate a special occasion, and we all agreed, veggies and carnivores alike, that this was one fantastic meal. The food kept coming! 5 imaginative and superbly executed courses (plus tasters between each course), with 5 well suited glasses of wine. Fabulous. The atmosphere was slightly reserved (except for our table!), with a range of age groups, but the service was attentive and lively to compensate. I'm not saying it was full of pensioners, not by any stretch of the imagination, but I'd love to see more of a younger crowd in there, as they seem to be aiming at us with the music and modern decor. I'll be back soon to encourage the trend!
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Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 9
Thursday, December 01, 2005

Probably the best meal I have ever experienced.

I went to Mju with my girlfriend last night. It was surprisingly busy for a Tuesday night, but not crowded. We arrived early so we had drinks at the bar. The cocktail list was extensive, the barman friendly and the drinks he mixed were superb.

The restaurant itself is, like the bar, stylishly decorated without being pretentious, providing an elegant and comfortable setting for the meal. The restaurant staff were faultless. Our waiter was polite, friendly and attentive and explained each dish to us in depth. However, best of all was the sommelier on the night. Not only were his wine pairings excellent, but he also took the time to talk us through the wines and his reasons for pairing them with the food.

The food was indescribably good. The presentation was delightful and the flavours subtle, being enhanced and prolonged by the wine. My favourite dish was the lobster linguini, however the oysters were also spectacular. All of the dishes were exciting and original in their concept. I have to admit that I raised an eyebrow at my girlfriend when we were served fois gras with banana and coconut ice cream, but the flavour combination really worked!

Mju may seem pricey when compared to other restaurants, however, the food, wine and service outdoes all other restaurants I have been to. For what you get Mju is excellent value.

If you do not like to venture further than the traditional favourites served in the plethora of average Italian restaurants that line the high street then this restaurant is not for you. However, if you are prepared to try new, original and modern cuisine I would strongly recommend Mju!
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Adam Nash
Wednesday, November 16, 2005