Hachioji Crows Nest — Restaurant in Sydney

Paid 350pp omakase, but got sushi worse than the 150pp menu — denial, excuses, and terrible service attitude

Dining info: Sept 30, 2025, 5:30pm, 2 guests, counter seats. We reserved the 350pp omakase. That evening, the two guests on our left ordered 150pp, and the five guests on our right ordered 350pp (same as us).

What actually happened: During the sushi course, the sushi we received was not only the same as the 150pp menu, but actually had fewer varieties than the 150pp guests next to us. Meanwhile, the five guests on our right who also ordered 350pp were served completely different and obviously higher-quality sushi. Before we raised any questions, the restaurant still expected us to pay 350pp with no explanation. It really felt like they assumed customers wouldn’t notice and could just be charged the higher price. When we asked, the chef’s attitude was extremely poor: • At first, he denied any difference and claimed that “omakase is decided freely by the chef each day, so it may vary among customers.” • I pointed out that it was the same day, same time, same price, yet our sushi was completely different from the other 350pp guests, and even worse than the 150pp guests. • Only after we kept pressing did the chef finally admit it was a “system issue, they didn’t see our 350pp booking, so they hadn’t prepared the 350pp ingredients.” • Throughout this, he was dismissive, evasive, and never offered a sincere apology — just excuses to blur his own mistake. Billing was even more unacceptable: • The chef verbally promised to charge only 100pp as an apology. • But at checkout, it suddenly became “100pp discount per person,” meaning we were charged 250pp. • In the end, we ate sushi that was worse than the 150pp menu, but were forced to pay 250pp.

Summary: This was not just a system error — it was a case of dishonesty and lack of transparency: • No explanation until we questioned them. • Initial denial and shifting the blame. • A billing promise that was not honored. • Poor service attitude with no genuine apology.

High-end omakase is supposed to be about ingredients, experience, and trust. This dinner completely destroyed that trust. I strongly do not recommend this restaurant to anyone who wants to experience a proper...

Paid 350pp omakase, but got sushi worse than the 150pp menu — denial, excuses, and terrible service attitude

Dining info: Sept 30, 2025, 5:30pm, 2 guests, counter seats. We reserved the 350pp omakase. That evening, the two guests on our left ordered 150pp, and the five guests on our right ordered 350pp (same as us).

What actually happened: During the sushi course, the sushi we received was not only the same as the 150pp menu, but actually had fewer varieties than the 150pp guests next to us. Meanwhile, the five guests on our right who also ordered 350pp were served completely different and obviously higher-quality sushi. Before we raised any questions, the restaurant still expected us to pay 350pp with no explanation. It really felt like they assumed customers wouldn’t notice and could just be charged the higher price. When we asked, the chef’s attitude was extremely poor: • At first, he denied any difference and claimed that “omakase is decided freely by the chef each day, so it may vary among customers.” • I pointed out that it was the same day, same time, same price, yet our sushi was completely different from the other 350pp guests, and even worse than the 150pp guests. • Only after we kept pressing did the chef finally admit it was a “system issue, they didn’t see our 350pp booking, so they hadn’t prepared the 350pp ingredients.” • Throughout this, he was dismissive, evasive, and never offered a sincere apology — just excuses to blur his own mistake. Billing was even more unacceptable: • The chef verbally promised to charge only 100pp as an apology. • But at checkout, it suddenly became “100pp discount per person,” meaning we were charged 250pp. • In the end, we ate sushi that was worse than the 150pp menu, but were forced to pay 250pp.

Summary: This was not just a system error — it was a case of dishonesty and lack of transparency: • No explanation until we questioned them. • Initial denial and shifting the blame. • A billing promise that was not honored. • Poor service attitude with no genuine apology.

High-end omakase is supposed to be about ingredients, experience, and trust. This dinner completely destroyed that trust. I strongly do not recommend this restaurant to anyone who wants to experience a proper...

Paid 350pp omakase, but got sushi worse than the 150pp menu — denial, excuses, and terrible service attitude

Dining info: Sept 30, 2025, 5:30pm, 2 guests, counter seats. We reserved the 350pp omakase. That evening, the two guests on our left ordered 150pp, and the five guests on our right ordered 350pp (same as us).

What actually happened: During the sushi course, the sushi we received was not only the same as the 150pp menu, but actually had fewer varieties than the 150pp guests next to us. Meanwhile, the five guests on our right who also ordered 350pp were served completely different and obviously higher-quality sushi. Before we raised any questions, the restaurant still expected us to pay 350pp with no explanation. It really felt like they assumed customers wouldn’t notice and could just be charged the higher price. When we asked, the chef’s attitude was extremely poor: • At first, he denied any difference and claimed that “omakase is decided freely by the chef each day, so it may vary among customers.” • I pointed out that it was the same day, same time, same price, yet our sushi was completely different from the other 350pp guests, and even worse than the 150pp guests. • Only after we kept pressing did the chef finally admit it was a “system issue, they didn’t see our 350pp booking, so they hadn’t prepared the 350pp ingredients.” • Throughout this, he was dismissive, evasive, and never offered a sincere apology — just excuses to blur his own mistake. Billing was even more unacceptable: • The chef verbally promised to charge only 100pp as an apology. • But at checkout, it suddenly became “100pp discount per person,” meaning we were charged 250pp. • In the end, we ate sushi that was worse than the 150pp menu, but were forced to pay 250pp.

Summary: This was not just a system error — it was a case of dishonesty and lack of transparency: • No explanation until we questioned them. • Initial denial and shifting the blame. • A billing promise that was not honored. • Poor service attitude with no genuine apology.

High-end omakase is supposed to be about ingredients, experience, and trust. This dinner completely destroyed that trust. I strongly do not recommend this restaurant to anyone who wants to experience a proper...