Koi

Very average food and over priced. Yet another poor restaurant in Kensington.
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Jenny - View all reviews by this user
2 Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 0
Wednesday, February 27, 2013

We were two couples looking for a restaurant and happened to go past Koi, where we had had an excellent lunch a couple of years previously. We had always wanted to go back and this was our chance.

The place is pleasant, with a traditional Japanese feel. However, the waitresses are Chinese, not Japanese, and their approach is not as welcoming. All through dinner they were trying to hurry us and to take our dishes away before some of us were quite finished. We chose the medium price set menus, which were not cheap (at £55 each) but we thought that would give us a good meal without having to choose ourselves. We ordered sake for two, beer for a third person and just still water for the person driving. The water, which came already poured in four tall glasses, was tepid tap water and we were never offered refills. When the time came to pay the bill, it came to £350.00! That was extremely expensive sake and beer. The meal was reasonable, but certainly not worth the price charged and we were practically pushed out of the door at 10.30, having arrived at about 9.15 on a Friday evening. It goes without saying that we did not leave a tip, as they had already charged 20% for service. An appalling experience and a bad impression for our friends who were visiting London.
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Patricia Grillo
0 Overall rating
Food 1 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 0 | Value for money 0
Sunday, September 23, 2012

We went to Koi Sushi with the Groupon voucher and were offered only sushi rolls with salmon in. They even gave us one roll with smoked salmon and cream cheese! That’s not sushi …that’s for people that buy sushi in Tesco and think that is real sushi! In actual fact the sushi tasted like sushi from Tesco and was DEFINITELY prepared in advance. To make matters worse at the table you are presented with a menu of many more varieties of sushi, hot food and appetizers which costs much less than what we paid. When we asked the manager about this he was very argumentative and even insulted us. Also be warned they will slap a five pounds per head service charge on each diner! I also complained that four out of six of the rolls were cut into five pieces rather than the normal six pieces which meant that my husband and I would be unable to share the rolls equally on more than half the meal! That’s not what I call a dining experience. When I asked the manager about this he was rude and defensive and did not even give me an answer as to why the chef does this. Be warned this is a very sub standard meal for a lot of money! You are better off going to Sushi Mama in Edgware, Sushi Mania in Golders Green or Sushi Japan in North Finchley!
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0 Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 0 | Value for money 0
Sunday, February 19, 2012

Inhospitable service, obscenely poor quality food for the price. There are too many excellent Japanese restaurants in London comparably priced. Appalling all around.
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Oumdi
0 Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 0 | Value for money 0
Friday, May 06, 2011

I had written a review of Koi on December 13, 2010 and in this past year, Koi has seen some changes that have drastically reduced the quality and service! As a couple, we were their best customers eating dinner twice a week and lunch once a week as Japanese Sushi is our favorite cuisine!

Sadly, the management has changed at least twice and the quality of service has taken a drastic nosedive as they now seem to hire young girls who are more interested in gossip and giggling over any form of service. I've caught them texting on their cell phones to playing with the fish in the Koi pond, which has now turned a slime green versus it's clarity a year ago. The new management pays no attention to their staff and makes no improvements. It's clear that the staff enjoy their job by the volume of their comments and laughter.

2011 saw the raise of the VAT. The new Koi management saw fit to increase the price for every dish by at least £2 as well as the VAT and charge a 20% service charge (service being a key word!) We calculated our dinner (with VAT) at £50 or under and received a bill for £65.

After eating at Koi this evening, we've decided it's our last visit as we can't stand to see a restaurant that now charges so much while we can barely hear ourselves over the staff. It was worth the money a year ago with great staff and reliable service. Times have changed.

As a person who frequented Koi as much as I have, I hope you find this review useful.
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AS
2 Overall rating
Food 6 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 1 | Value for money 0
Wednesday, January 26, 2011