Kulu Kulu Sushi (Shelton St)

I went there last night after reading the reviews on this site, I've been there once when they firstly opened and I liked it there. I was surprsed to read the last review and worried that it might have gone down hill since my last visit.

I am pleased to say that it wasn't the case. We went there at 7 on a Friday with a couple of friends. It was quiet when we walked it and not much sushi on the bar. After sitting in and getting our tea, there were more ppl and nearly fill the place in few minutes.

We could see more freshly made sushi were on the bar and they really tasted super. The price is reasonable and you know you can order whatever you like on the menu if those sushi you like are not on the bar for selecton.

My personal recommendation is soft shell crab handroll, you have to try it no matter what. You also can order some hot dishes and they are all v cheap. I mean comparing to Gili Gulu down the road in Covert Garden, I think Kulu Kulu does real and fresh sushi.

I will go there again for sure and I am missing my crab handroll already!
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michelle9394 - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Saturday, September 15, 2007

I used to eat here alot. Food quality has certainly gone out the window. The sashimi pieces are certainly thinne these days....

I'm sure when you go for a meal, quality of food is more important.
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Food Searcher - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 2 | Value for money 1
Monday, June 18, 2007

Good value, fresh food, conveyor-belt sushi places in the West End. Zero atmosphere, think cafeteria rather than restaurant, range of dishes is pretty okay, green tea is complimentary (self service), but hey the PRICE, it's cheap for when you need a sushi-fix and don't want to pay the earth. Me & my gf are regulars here.
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Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 10
Thursday, June 14, 2007

Many of the reviewers seem to be expecting the wrong thing from Kulu. No, this is not a 'big night out' or 'romantic dinner' kind of place, nor has it the commercial sheen of Yo Sushi. What it is, though, is a great place for a sushi pit-stop, while shopping, before the cinema/theatre, or even to line the stomach before drinking. The fish is always fresh, the vegetarian selection is good, there ARE quite a lot of more imaginative dishes on offer, and the green tea is great. Me and my missus regularly eat several plates each and the bill rarely reaches £15 in total. The staff are never less than friendly, while not being excessively attentive (which we wouldn't want anyway) - and what, may I ask, is the issue that the staff 'all seemed to be Indian'? When was the last time you were served by someone Japanese in Yo Sushi?
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Tim - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 9
Friday, June 01, 2007

Crushingly disappointing after reading a lot of reviews in advance. Although very cheap, only the absolute basic types of sushi were available, despite a lot more being shown on the menu and attracting me in in the first place. The waiters/waitresses seemed very much uninterested, and acknowledged orders even when the fish was not available on a number of occasions. Very frustrating. Cheap prices should not necessarily equate to a poor experience, and we won't be returning. if you enjoy regular and varied sushi of a good standard, I cannot recommend this, even with the prices as low as they are.
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C Lovelace
Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 2 | Value for money 4
Wednesday, April 11, 2007

With very little fanfare we were shown to our stools in covent garden at about 8 pm there were very few people in the restaurant. It felt like an american style diner where everone is seated facing the staff.

There was however no excplanation whatsoever as to the preocedure, pricing or ordering of drinks. Nothing i asked for off of the set menu was a vailable. when one of my friends asked for some eel, i noticed the waiter grab one from the coveryor belt and dissapear with it for 10 minutes??

the food itself want to impressive, whilst some of the sushi was ok i really started to dislike the converyor belt as the same stale looking uncoverd dish floated by. The yellow tail was good, the rice not so good, prawn tempura was some pre frozed deep fried looking thing. and the prices were more than a really good place.

I couldnt recommend such a place im afraid, i wont be returning.
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mark aldrich
Overall rating
Food 1 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 2 | Value for money 1
Sunday, April 08, 2007

Usually I get my Sushi from YoSuhi but this place was recommended by a friend of a friend. The food was good and the prices are quite cheap. There wasn't as much choice as I would of liked but it wasn't too difficult to end up with a nice selection of food. On the downside the menu was very poor and the service wasn't much better and thats what really spoiled what could of been a really nice meal.
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Will Humphreys
Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 8
Wednesday, February 14, 2007

We visited the South Ken Kulu Kulu. The initial impression upon entering was that of a basic, no frills eatery although the decor was tired. The person who greeted us showed us to the only available stools positioned right underneath a heater blasting hot air right onto the conveyor (and us).

The service was indifferent and certainly reactive - no offer of drinks or additional items or explanation of procedures / pricing which might make it difficult for first time sushi-ists.

The chopsticks were in an unlabelled box, there was a box of tissues instead of serviettes, a small soy sauce dispenser and a large unlabelled plastic container full of (bland) wasabi with a spoon inside. We discovered the plate pricing just before leaving (above our heads) - all very reasonable - on a par with Gili Gulu price wise for a dine in, but a very poor second on authenticity and quality of the food - not a scratch on the Wasabi chain.

The chef was using his bare hands to prepare the sushi and did not clean his hands in between (hand) scooping rice and other ingredients from various containers. Additionally, all items on the conveyor belt were uncovered.

We ordered one miso soup and two arrived. The miso was full of flavour with spring onions and tofu, but no spoon. We took one plate of salmon teriyaki which was warm, but tasted burnt from the conveyor, a plate of two salmon sushi - quality salmon, but the rice was very loose making it difficult to pick up with chopsticks and one plate of tempura chicken pieces which, having consumed a few pieces, we noticed the chicken pieces were uncooked - the chicken pieces were basically too large for tempura.

When the tempura chicken was shown to the host, he agreed that the chicken was not cooked and offered to cook some more, but there was no apology just an air of indifference. We settled up (excluding tempura chicken!) and left. Kulu Kulu is a never again experience.
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Lou
Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 1
Wednesday, January 24, 2007

Love this restaurant, started eating at the one in South Ken and have now moved over closer to the Covent Garden branch. It definitely becomes an addiction, and I can credit this place for converting me to sushi as I never used to like it before.

The kaiten is just fun. The focus is on the food. It's the sort of place you can pop into on your own without feeling awkward. I love the hand rolls and several of the sushi varieties. Plus, the ability to choose every little plate is great for selective, budget-conscious eaters like me.

All in all, definitely check this place out. It's great sushi at a great value. My only concern with the Covent Garden branch is that they had the heat turned up a bit high in the room for raw fish. Not a big problem though as it's all fresh!
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Krista Elizabeth - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 10
Thursday, November 09, 2006

Quite a nice resturant, though I didn't find the atmosphere particularly welcoming or relaxing.

Food was not bad, and quite a bit cheaper than the yo sushi chain but then its a bit more self service (help yourself to green tea)
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Dawn
Overall rating
Food 6 | Service 4 | Atmosphere 4 | Value for money 6
Tuesday, November 07, 2006