OZU - Restaurant Japonais

My wife, two daughters and I visited OZU on a Friday evening in December 2007. No kidding: this was one of the very best meals we have enjoyed in London. All the dishes were magical and extremely tasty and it was great to see the totally different style of grilling: from the charcoal into a marinade, back on the charcoal, into a diferent marinade, all done in the centre of the restaurant. We walked back over Westminster bridge with a happy spring in our step. Even now in April 2008 we are still talking about it.
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Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Monday, April 28, 2008

I went there for a very special day but complete disappointment .. The service was so slow.. Food was cold.meals all come in one time. The staff just wondering around completley lost. I really wonder why it has been closed now. I think they should just keep it this way.. My rate for this place will be a big zero..
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KARAHAN - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 0 | Value for money 0
Tuesday, May 29, 2007

Myself and my husband ate here in April 2007 on a Wednesday lunchtime and were dissappointed with everything except the view. We were the only diners bar another couple. Firstly we were given a set menu on a piece of paper with lots of handwritten ammendments and crossings out. We were pretty much told we had to choose from this and not the a la carte menu. I chose sashimi and my husband the salmon teriyaki. The salmon was overcooked - the sashimi ok - both arrived with a bowl of rice, miso soup, a few beansprouts and a small uninspiring salad of lettuce and tomato. Our order for a couple of non alcoholic cocktails was taken, but we were later told they couldnt make them as the barman wasnt in that day. The staff were incompetent, our food arrived at different times and plates cleared before both of us had finished eating. The windows and glass doors were filthy. We both commented that the whole place had the feeling that it was about to close down.
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Sarah Bowthorpe
Overall rating
Food 4 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 2 | Value for money 3
Thursday, April 19, 2007

This is all mystifying. Did everybody who's posted go to the same place ? We went purely by chance on a Saturday lunchtime. Admittedly, it was quiet. But the staff were, without exception, charming and helpful. We were quite anxious about taking our 3 year old son, but he was made as welcome as we were, and the waiter helped pick out something suitable for him off the menu, and then let him go and watch his salmon being grilled. Our food was delicious, and as good as we ate in Japan
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Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 8
Tuesday, February 06, 2007

Had dinner here with my wife and parents in law in early December 2006, for my Father in law's 61st birthday. The restaurant re-opened after adding a new sushi bar at the front.

It was simply a dreadful place:

- Practically empty, no atmoshpere

- Constant buzzing noise similar to the noise a refrigerator makes

- The staff did not speak English, I asked for the bathroom, restroom and toilet when I arrived to which I received blank looks until another member of staff intervened

- We waited 45 minuted before we were offered either a drink or a menu, finally I waved to a waiter who was standing nearby and he simply walked away

- The champagne brought had no bubbles

- My parents in law are from Italy and have never used chopsticks before and asked for knives and forks and they were not brought, I had to remind them tersely to get them to bring these when the entre arrived

- Hand towels and used glasses were left on the table and I had to hand them to waiters to take them away from the table

- The menu is odd, and the range of choices of all of the usual things you can order at a Japanese restaurantare limited (including made to request sushi and sashimi and Tepanyaki varieties) andcan only be ordered if you sit in the bar, where there is no view. Given the place was empty why couldn't they even discuss this

- The sashimi was average, and not as fine as you see elsewhere

- The staff are clueless, having it seems little hospitality experience and given it was the first night provided really awful service despite there being only 4 tables needing to be served.

I was ready to ccall the manager and complain a lot at the end of the meal, but the waiter said there was a 50% discount for the 1st week post re-opening which made me shrug off the bad experience. I do feel sorry for the bloke who proposed at the table next to me, at least his new fiance was happy with tears depsite the bad place!

Probably this place will be a trap for tourists who don't know any better, no serious London diner would like this.
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really disgruntled with ozu!
Overall rating
Food 5 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 0 | Value for money 0
Saturday, December 09, 2006

Despite hearing mixed reviews on Ozu, I was happy to discover that this restaurant did in-fact provide a very positive dining experience. The food was well presented and extremely flavoursome. The staff were very polite and the waitress was happy to provide advice on which wine would best compliment our meals.

A great venue and a definite ‘must try’ to anyone who enjoys good Japanese cuisine.
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Johnathan
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 9
Friday, December 08, 2006

we ate hear with friends and found the food absolutely foul. The service was only second to McDonalds Drive Through. And, when we wrote a letter of complaint we have still not received a response - after 5 weeks!
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Hamish Tonkin
Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 2 | Value for money 0
Sunday, November 12, 2006

I went with 2 friends for dinner and the restaurant was practically deserted - the stark interior didn't help the feeling of desolation. I think the restaurant could do with livening up the decor and better /more ambient lighting. The food unfortunately was also nothing to write home about - the only plus is the location but this restaurant does not make the most of it!
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Alex Adam
Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 0 | Value for money 2
Wednesday, October 25, 2006

Visited in Friday 27th October 06. I was with some family from Geneva and just happened to pass Ozu before going on the London Eye thought we would give it a try. The food was amazing! The menu had a variety of tempting Japanese/French dishes that appealed to all of us. Of the starters we ordered by far the best were Agedashi Mochi - Fried rice cake in a light soy consommé, and the Akami no goma dare - Blue fin tuna sashimi served with a tahini sauce was the best sashimi I have had in town, it beats Nobu and Donzoko!

The main course menu features black cod, duck, Scottish beef and a selection of traditional Japanese noodle dishes. The service was excellent and the restaurant interior is warm and inviting and the atmosphere relaxed, although not busy for a Friday night. For our visitors the view of Big Ben topped off the evening.

Value for money? - Yes around £40 each including drinks. On the downside – not busy and lacking a buzz, this could be due to it only being open for a couple of months? Will definitely go back. Highly recommended!
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Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 10
Monday, October 23, 2006