Kushi-ya Reviews Summary

Food Quality

Pros:

• "All the plates were of excellent quality."
• "Exquisite place, food, and atmosphere."
• "Stupendous good, delicious textures."
• "The pork and kettuce is also very good."
• "Must haves I'd recommend are the chicken and beef skewers, salmon and tira-miso."
• "Prawn toast was very good, pickle tray very good, beef also very good."
• "The pork belly skewers and pork with miso butter! All of this food was incredible like nothing we have had before!"
• "The chicken skewers (Tsukune) were great as was the salmon sashimi."
• "Everything from the seaweed and fennel salad through the beef and chicken skewers to the matcho and line cheesecake were absolutely top notch."
• "The smoke & fire from the grill you can taste on the food is just delicious."
• "The prawn toast is just something else."
• "The pork on a bed of lettuce was amazing."
• "The food was amazing, I rarely treat myself to a three-course meal but the portions were perfectly balanced that I only felt full after dessert."

Cons:

• "Chicken was slightly on the salty side but still was good."
• "The edamame beans were on the salty side, but still very nice."
• "A couple of the dishes were a little bit plain (the scallops and the potato skewers)."
• "Beef skewers £6.5 - Mediocre. Meat was tough and flavorless."
• "Rice £3 - Very overpriced for poorly done japanese rice. Way too wet and mushy."
• "Peppers: bland. Note all food is pretty damn salty."
• "The food was a little overpriced outside of the lunch/theatre offer options, I didn't feel like it was good enough to justify the final bill."
• "The food was OK, but abit overpriced."

Service

Pros:

• "Good customer service."
• "The service was quick and friendly. The staff were very knowledgeable and chatty!"
• "The service was really good, we had a wonderful waitress and the wait between courses was surprisingly short."
• "Their product knowledge was fantastic; you could tell they really believed in what they were serving to you."
• "The staff were fantastic the food was superb and the atmosphere was both modern but at the same time homely."
• "The waiters are great, especially one girl."
• "Service was excellent and the food on point."

Cons:

• "The only minor niggle is that we were asked to free up the table 75/80 minutes after arriving."
• "Customer service was good though I thought it was abit 🥴 when I asked if they had lemon for water and she brought it over on a plate but then used her hands to put in our drink."
• "The staff were not asked once whether the food was ok or if we needed more drinks."
• "General lack of attention from the waitresses, for example we were not asked once whether the food was ok or if we needed more drinks."
• "We waited 20 min despite booking in advance and were asked to step outside for that as it was rammed inside with people waiting."
• "The food was delicious. Best izakaya in Nottingham. The waitresses are great, especially one girl. I saw her picking up the ground with her hands. I was shocked."

Atmosphere

Pros:

• "Exquisite place, food and atmosphere."
• "Thank you to the chefs and staff for making this evening so special❤️👌🔥👏"
• "The atmosphere was really nice. The ceiling of the restaurant feels very Tudor-esque while the walls and the seating area felt very traditional Japanese with a modern touch."
• "The decor is minimal and well-chosen, lending the place a casual, warm feel."
• "Great atmosphere too, being able to see the food from being created in the kitchen and on to the table."

Cons:

• "Located down a small side street that can be off putting since another business keeps their bins alongside it."
• "One small niggle (not enough to knock a star off) is that if the table is not yet ready, you are sent to sit downstairs... by the toilet and a door to the outside so you can feel the draught."
• "Interior and ambience I found slightly lacking for a restaurant relieving you of £40 per head."
• "Not really the authentic experience we have expected :( "

Value for Money

Pros:

• "Unlike some other reviews, I think for the quality of food, the value is there."
• "The lunch offer of a snack, two skewers and a bowl of sticky rice for £15 is a bargain."
• "The food was Michelin star quality and my friend and I were very impressed with the restaurant. Highly recommend!!"
• "All that, with a couple of beers each for about £50 a head - ok, not going to do it every week, but it genuinely felt like a bargain!"
• "It is very good value for money and it allows us to try most of the food in menu."
• "Always an exciting meal and incredible value for money."
• "The lunch menu is great value at only £10!"

Cons:

• "The only minor niggle is that we were asked to free up the table 75/80 minutes after arriving. When we’re spending £110 on food - I’d like to have been provided a little more time."
• "The portions were a bit too small, but the judgement thereof is up to individual preferences."
• "The prices are tiny and prices way too high. They push you to has 3-4 plates each and if you are not careful you end up spending £40+, plus the 10% discretionary charge."
• "It makes me happy that the venue I used to know as The Alley Cafe has such a superb new crew of people serving some of the most innovative Asian-inspired dishes I have seen in Nottingham for some time. It's a limited menu, but I don't think I'd ever get bored with what is on it.... incredible flavours and delicious fresh ingredients."
• "The service was subpar for me- a true lack of omotenashi and quite slow cookery, despite being within the first slots of the night."
• "The food the drinks the service - everything was heavenly. Highly recommend eating here if you can get a table!"