Nobu

Visited a few weeks ago...probably the poorest and most over-rated London restaurant I have been to. Poor service, over inflated egos sitting in close proximity so no cosy intimate conversation to be had here I'm afraid...Not a brilliant experience....wide berth recommended!
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Overall rating
Food 1 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 0
Monday, January 25, 2010

Yes..I'm afraid this restaurant is really a 'let-down'...poor service - inflated prices and now we hear, ethically immoral...Oh dear 1 out of 10, max score....
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Annie Rey
Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 0
Monday, January 25, 2010

I was very dissapointed with my visit to Nobu. I was expecting MIchelin star standard and I'm afraid the food feel very far short!!!

The service was appalling! We were seated at the end of a busy row of tables right next to the kitchen and service table and were constantly being knocked! We too were told that we could only have the table for a limited amount of time as it was booked. We weren't once asked if we wanted an alcoholic drink and the waitress even spilled water over me and the table!

I guess not being even a Z-list celebrity made absolutely sure that we were not going to enjoy our dining experience!
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Louise Scott
Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 0
Wednesday, January 13, 2010

I was at Nobu with my fiancee a couple of weeks ago and found that Nobu in London is by far the WORST Japanese restaurant I have EVER been to. In terms of services and decorations, it is just another Fusion restaurant in London, nothing special, or am I expecting too much? Maybe.

Personally I love Japanese food and have been to both big and small Japanese restaurants all around the world, from Australia, Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Europe, UK to Canada. I must say Nobu in London tastes RIDICULOUSLY BAD!!

I had Toro tartar with Caviar as a starter while my fiancee had Wagyu tartar with Caviar. For my starter, I can only best describe it as a 3pcs of normal grade out of the refrigerator tuna sashimi (Note: Toro is suppose to be top grade fatty tuna), definitely not TORO! while my fiancee's Wagyu beef tasted alright, but it was a 2 teaspoons dish for 24.95 pounds. Pretencious? Maybe. Overpriced ? Defintely.

Next came our main courses. I had Anti-Cucho Peruvian Style Spicy Ribeye steak while my partner had a Sushi dinner. When the sushi dinner came, we were both Shocked! The sushi dinner comprised of all of the lowest grade sushi (i.e. salmon, tuna, egg, beancurd, etc) which defintely resembles the cheapest plates of sushi in YO! sushi's conveyor belt. A michelin star restaurant producing this type of sushi is an absolute disgrace. Nothing fusion about it at all. However, when my beef came, I wish I had ordered the Yo! sushi cheap grade stuff!! I ordered a medium rare ribeye, which is no where medium rare and it tasted exactly like rubber cooked in an Indian sauce! I know the English love Indian food, but I did not see it coming my way in Nobu!!

All in all dinner cost about 190 pounds, and both my partner and I are absoulutely disappointed with Nobu in London. Overall, service and decorations is worth 5/10 stars, but the food is defintely worth -5 stars. Returning? Never! Not even if it is free. To Nobu's owners: if you want to know what fresh sashimi is suppose to taste like, try the sashimi in Harrods.
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Axile
Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 0 | Value for money 0
Wednesday, January 06, 2010

Went to Nobu last night and left very disappointed, so much so I am writing my first ever restaurant review.

The sushi we had for starters was ok but was served with the saltiest, strongest soya sauce I'd ever tasted so completely dominated the flavour if you slightly over did it.

I had 'Scallops Spicy Garlic' for a main and the sauce it came with was also so salty I had to carefully pick out a few pieces of edible scallop and vegetable before I gave up and sent it back to enquire if was meant to be that salty...the waiter returned and informed me that the chef said I was not eating the dish in the correct way!

Anyway compared to other Michelin starred restaurants we have eaten at this was byfar the biggest disappointment...I ate at wagamamas during the week and enjoyed that more!! We wont be returning anytime soon, just pleased £50 of our bill as the majitos we had (which were nice) but annoyed that we were not given an opportunity to remove the 'discretionary' service charge which in truth would have been unfair on the waiter who was perfectly pleasant.
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Tony
Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 5
Sunday, December 20, 2009

I really enjoyed the food here, I found the staff friendly too!

I would recommend this restaurant to anyone, especially those who enjoy japenese food!
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Amanda
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Friday, November 20, 2009

Went on Saturday night, we had come down from Manchester for a special girly night out. The whole place is very dark and not as glam as I thought it would be.

The food was lovely as were our cocktails, although they took a while to come out. The service was terrible and we we're not going to pay the optional tip of £21 they had added to our bill. This could have been so much better if the waiters actually cared!!

I would go back again but not as good as I had hoped. I get the feeling they think as we're NOBU we can do as we please. Will only last for so long.
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Claire Benson
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 6
Monday, November 16, 2009

Ate at Nobu last night. As we were seated (at 7.45pm), we were told that they needed the table back at 9.30 which annoyed me straight away. The waiter who served us was good and it seemed all the staff worked hard, although it took over half an hour and a reminder for them to bring us sparkling water and wine. The food was disappointing and overpriced. The atmosphere was noisy and we could hardly hear each other talk. Overall, a very average experience for too much money!
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Overall rating
Food 5 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 4 | Value for money 1
Thursday, October 29, 2009

Went to Nobu with a party of 3 on a Monday evening. I have visited Nobu and Nobu Berkeley through the years.

I was somehow surprised that the restaurant was packed full on a Monday evening, very noisy and somehow chaotic.

With no wine and only 1 desert, the bill came to £240. I agreed with other reviewers here that for this rather high price, I would expect a 5* dining experience + exceptional Japanese food.

But that was not the case, the waiter/waitress were rude and not well trained. Food was okay, but far from great! Overall experience was a lot better a few years back.

If I were to choose again for a decent sushi meal in London, I would pick Cafe Japan or Sushi Say for sure and for a fraction of the price.
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Overall rating
Food 5 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 1 | Value for money 0
Wednesday, September 30, 2009

The word DISAPPOINTING cannot describe how let down I was by the whole Nobu experience. Having already been to Nobu and unimpressed by it many years ago, I was taken to Nobu again on a surprise birthday dinner 2 weeks ago. I was too polite to say anything and what a mistake it was!

Having been to Nobu, I already knew what to expect from the atmosphere. The room was cramped and noisy, the deco plain rather minimalistic. The main dining room was so packed that after a trip to the loo, I coudln't get back to my seats without going around the entire restaurant. However, what really shocked me this time is the appalling service. The waitress was rude and pushy, not to mention annoyingly chirpy (I do not expect to get a thumb-up every time I am spoken to in a restaurant of this calibre). She asked us whether we were ready to order no less than 5 times within no more than 10 mins (and no I don't need your help for the 5th time because i have eaten Japanese food before, can you please just go away for 10mins??). Despite her pushiness, she failed to offer me an aperitif and did not take any drink order from us. We had to ask for it ourselves.

The food was edible but not exceptional. The sunomono lacked acidity (the cucumber wasn't even evenly sliced and this is a Japanese restaurant?!) and the main tenderloin of beef was over-flavoured. The exotically named 'shitake mushroom salad' was simply an under-dressed salad with a few slices of shitake mushroom in it. This is fusion food at the most unimaginative. The only dish that was quite memorable was the squid pasta, which is buttery and zesty.

Bill for two came to 180pounds, with no dessert and one glass of prosecco. Was it worth it? Definitely not. Go to Zuma if you'd like to eat creative Japanese food, watch beautiful people in the same area. Nobu? Never!!
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MAS
Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 1 | Value for money 0
Tuesday, September 01, 2009