Yoshino

It was our first visit to Yoshino in over a year but we were still looking forward to the usual mix of sushi rolls, sashimi, mackerel bar-sushi and other goodies...

Unfortunately we were let down very badly, came away disappointed and we've all decided never to come back unless they change drastically.

The stripped down menu is very disappointing - most of the sushi/sashimi combination sets gone, replaced by "wagyu beef teppanyaki" sets instead...this is a sushi restaurant right? instead of the usual maki rolls (salmon, cucumber, egg) they have "fried chicken", "sun dried vegetable tempura" and "fresh tomato roll tempura". We tried them all...and they were shockingly bland.

I think the fresh tomato roll tempura was the biggest letdown. It's supposed to be crispy on the outside but came soggy and oily - no, no, no.

The first time the wagyu steak came (the waitress didn't ask how we would like the steak done so I guess it's just their way or the highway) they had drenched it in pepper, making it inedible.

The tempura prawns again were not crispy, a restaurant such as Yoshino should be able to get freshly-made tempura properly.

The sashimi sets were not great - the previous time we came, the sashimi was decorated beautifully and precisely with the fish the star attraction. This time there were huge leaves of a Savoy cabbage obscuring my fish and lemon skins (that's right) dotted around. That had the effect of all my sashimi tasting of lemon.

The decoration was messy and bloated, and didn't seem like the hand of a fully trained sushi chef. Also, the salmon had a dry outer texture, suggesting it had been cut a long time beforehand.

The two nice things were the chirashi rice and the ice creams. Even the apple sherbet, usually a favourite, was too sweet.

Considering the price, this has to be the worst value meal I've had in a very long time, a sentiment shared by everyone at our table.

Yoshino, please change back to what you used to be!!
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michael lee
3 Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 1
Sunday, May 05, 2013

I went to Yoshino with my gf because of the good reviews here and elsewhere. It was ok, food nothing very special, not particularly good value, friendly staff, nice decor. But we stared baffled at the menu at first as it's soooo short - a (very) few sets, and a few sushi, sashimi, tempura and side dish options. I wonder why they don't put their menu on the internet. So, confused, we went for the £20 set meal and each got a bowl of miso, one small salad with some small bits of salmon lurking, a generous portion of three prawn tempura (but the batter was a bit soggy really), three bits of california handroll, absolutely as good as anything in YO!, and a couple of tomato handrolls. Thank god for the side order of aubergine and miso paste which helped stave off starvation. Food arrived quickly; we were done in, oh, about 20 minutes and about £65 with drinks and service. Then we went to have some beer and fish and chips (at the Rock and Sole Plaice in Covent Garden, where the batter was perfectly crispy).

So I'm still baffled. Maybe I made the wrong choice, and if you spend a lot of money on the sushi and sashimi you'll think it's great. The set menu is good for people recovering from a lengthy illness, anorexics, models, ladies who lunch, or small children. I know £20 isn't all that much, but great value it isn't.
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Tom
5 Overall rating
Food 5 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 2
Friday, March 01, 2013