Amberjack

We ate here yesterday, a balmy April Saturday night.

Firstly, this is no longer a Japanese restaurant. There is a notice on the front saying the sushi chefs have moved to the Japanese canteen. This is now a tapas bar.

Interestingly, they still seem to serve Japanese beer.

The drinks are fine. The service is extremely slack - the restaurant was not busy and there were about 5 people on the floor, but nobody seemed to remember about giving us plates and cutlery (we had to ask, after the food arrived); or to clear empty plates. The food is a problem. The (cold) mixed meat platter arrived about 45 minutes after the olives we also chose as a starter, and after most of the main dishes - with no communication from staff. A forgotten glass of water prompted no apology. The portions are tiny. The segment of rubbery Spanish omelette was the width of a 50p coin at best. This is not quality tapas, it seems nobody takes pride in the food. The worst on our order was 'fried baby squid'. This also arrived half an hour after the rest of the food, and was essentially composed of bits of brown batter refried until dull and dry with small rings of what I can only assume was once squid but now looked like and tasted like a rubber band. Usually a crowd-pleaser, this dish was so bad no one tried it again after the initial bite. While the jamon iberico was nothing to write home about, it was this little ashtray of a dish that really threw the experience over the edge.

With a Hoxton Square location, Amberjack can rely on passing trade but certainly not repeat custom.
Comment on this reader review

JJ
1 Overall rating
Food 1 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 4 | Value for money 0
Sunday, April 18, 2010