Ginza St. James's - Japanese Restaurant Reviews Summary

Food Quality

Pros:

• "The black cod is the BEST I've ever had."
• "The Kyushu beef it was outstanding."
• "Sashimi was fantastic, as well as drinks, mochi ice cream and other meals."
• "High quality sashimi and sushi."
• "Sashimi is very high quality and fresh."
• "The food actually tastes very good."
• "The freshness of the ingredients and the balance of the taste are the thing that I cannot expect from other restaurants."

Cons:

• "The food was definitely not worth the price point."
• "The quality of the sashimi was subpar."
• "Miso marinated black cod is mediocre."
• "The prawn main meal was tough, over cooked and flavour less."
• "The sushi we ordered last time was almost inedible and we had to actually throw it away."
• "Food is not bad but rather average and prices are absolutely not in line with quality or location."
• "The food was BAD."

Service

Pros:

• "Service is first rate."
• "It was a joy to have Melissa looking after us at the table."
• "The service was good and that saved our experience."
• "Serving staff were generally good."
• "What impressed me the most about this Japanese restaurant was the professionalism displayed by the entire staff."
• "Service was impeccable. Any spills got cleaned up immediately and very attentive."
• "The service was excellent and there was serious attention to detail."

Cons:

• "It was so incredibly bad that it detracted from the enjoyment of the evening."
• "Service wasn’t good as well."
• "The service was a bit uneven in the beginning."
• "Although the staff was really nice, the whole coordination of the food was terrible."
• "I found the service to be extremely slow, considering the portions where small."
• "Not enough staffs and it took long long time for the food, food served in complete wrong order - cold in between hot."
• "Service needs work - staff repeatedly took or tried to take plates away which still had food on them without checking."

Atmosphere

Pros:

• "Absolutely loved the restaurant atmosphere and hope to visit again for lunch/dinner."
• "Ambience varies from a bar experience to a romantic intimate setting, or even to a family-style feast depending on the area of the restaurant you are seated."
• "With its unassuming exterior, this hidden gem offers an authentic and satisfying dining experience that is sure to please any lover of Japanese cuisine."
• "Really loved the ambiance, the cleanliness and the service."
• "One of the best sushi experiences I've had ever (including my visits in Japan!)."
• "The atmosphere is really nice, it's not noisy."
• "The cherry blossom tree at the entrance is a beautiful touch, making it perfect for a romantic date."

Cons:

• "Music was loud and sommelier first recommendation of a bottle of sake cost £3xx!"
• "This place is as far away you from Japanese food you can get."
• "Very expensive for what it is."
• "Totally overpriced."
• "The atmosphere is not that great unless you like to sit in a basement."
• "Calling it Japanese-inspired food might suit better."
• "Very sad to see its legacy go up in flames."

Value

Pros:

• "And considering the price, the quality of food and portion size was more than generous."
• "We now save this restaurant for special occasions."
• "And the prices are reasonable certainly for this super quality food."
• "There are choices for every budget so give it a try."
• "The set lunches offer a chance to eat great Japanese food without breaking the bank."
• "For a start, the set menus offer a good value for the price."
• "The set lunch is actually good value for money if you look at the individual prices on the A La Carte menu."

Cons:

• "It’s costly but not reach my standard at all."
• "The portions are extremely small for their price."
• "Rice is too dry, lack of soy sauce and almost in a collapsing shape."
• "Food is not bad but rather average and prices are absolutely not in line with quality or location."
• "Everything doesn’t really match the price point it advertises/prides itself to be."
• "It is a nice restaurant with high quality food and excellent service but it is overpriced."
• "Definitely not worth the price tag, especially the hefty 15% service charge."