CICADA — Restaurant in Tokyo

My family and I visited Cicada yesterday afternoon for late lunch/early dinner. The welcome greeting was attentive and warm and c19 control measures were in place. Service in the restaurant was equally attentive, warm and personal. The interior of the restaurant is great, allowing for singles, couples, families and larger parties in different sections. And there is a (currently covered) patio. We had crab cakes, papas bravas and the prawns al ajillo. The crab cakes soft and moist on the inside. Could have been slightly more crispy on the outside. But it’s minor - and no complaints about the taste. The other starters were really great as well. For mains we had the swordfish, snapper and spicy Portuguese style chicken and a “special order” spaghetti with tomato sauce and pancetta. The fish were perfectly grilled and juicy. The pink lentils with the swordfish fragrant and very tasty - a good complement to the more neutral taste of the firm swordfish. Desserts were ice cream/sorbet, tiramisu, chocolate cake and creme brûlée. Good quality ice cream. Firm but still fluffy and well settled tiramisu with proper taste of both coffee and Marsala. Creme brûlée was huge but well prepared in a shallow dish. Well balanced pistachio taste and great with the thin, well burned and super crispy sugar top layer. Only detractor was the espresso. It was extremely acidic and bitter and did all its best to ruin the desserts. In today’s coffee market it’s easy to find a full bodied and creamy ristretto. It dectracts half a star from the overall experience. Nevertheless, we’ll be back for more and look forward to enjoying the patio. The food and company were so good that for once I completely forgot to take...

From a Customer to a Doorman — I was asked to move here to have my dessert.

I have been a loyal customer of Cicada for over 13 years and have always enjoyed your lunch courses, even as prices have increased over the years. Unfortunately, my experience during my recent visit left me very disappointed.

This Tuesday, despite having a 2-hour reservation at my terrace table, my party was approached by a waiter after only 1 hour and 20 minutes and asked to move to a high table near the entrance to have our dessert because “someone had reserved your table.” At first, I thought this was a joke. When asked to check the table, I refused, as we still had 40 minutes remaining on our reservation and were still in the middle of our main course.

What made this situation feel even more uncomfortable was that there were several empty tables around us; some guests had even arrived before us, yet no other parties were asked to move. Being pressured to change tables mid-meal—especially at a restaurant where I have always felt welcome—was extremely rude and disappointing.

I requested to speak with an English-speaking staff member to raise my concern and was eventually moved inside for dessert, but the entire experience left a negative impression.

I have always recommended Cicada to friends, colleagues and friends from oversea but this incident has shaken my confidence in the level of hospitality I once trusted. I hope you will review this matter to ensure that long-time customers do not have to experience such treatment...

A fancy restaurant, perfect for dates, celebrations, or a very relax dinner. Serves a various kind of wine and selection of food. Had trouble choosing what to order as everything just sounds very delicious!

The dips is a must to order, the flat bread was so good! Eggplant dip and chickpeas were amazing!

Feta cheese salad, simple yet delicious. Scallops were bit small but still tasty.

Lamb and pork chop, the lamb was stunning, would love to go back for more! As the for pork, simple and pairs well with the beans.

Snapper was alright, the potato underneath could be more flavour, it reminds me of just fried potato.

Pistaccio creme brulee was absolute best! Almost go for a 2nd plate. Wished there's ice cream comes with it.

The chocolate cake was alright, felt almost like a lava cake but cooked all the way and it wasn't as rich as I was expecting.

The place is too dark to read the menu, wished it's a bit brighter. Although it makes a very romantic atmosphere for dinner dates. Service was good as well, keep getting our plate changed when needed without...