Gin Ja — Restaurant in Bel Ombre

Gin’Ja was highly recommended by our host, who also made the reservation for us. She said it was one of the best restaurants in West Africa and especially praised their sushi — definitely worth the extra cost outside our half-board package at Heritage Le Telfair.

The atmosphere and location are indeed beautiful — right by the beach with a lovely evening vibe. That part was promising. But unfortunately, the rest of our experience was disappointing.

When we arrived at 19:00, our reservation wasn’t found, and we had to wait almost an hour to be seated. Once we finally got a table, we ordered cocktails (~€17 each), which were surprisingly simple — served in regular glasses with no decoration or taste worth mentioning. Definitely not what you expect at this price point.

The sushi was a real letdown. We ordered a plate with 8 pieces but only received 7. More importantly, the sushi itself was poorly rolled and lacked the delicate taste and texture you’d expect from proper Japanese-style sushi. We’ve had authentic sushi before, and this sadly didn’t come close.

For the main dish, my Pad Thai included rubbery, old-tasting tofu. My partner’s meat dish came with a strange sauce that tasted like mulled wine — a very odd flavor combination that didn’t work at all.

To their credit, the manager was very kind and tried to make up for the experience: he offered us a complimentary dessert and didn’t charge for the cocktails. That was much appreciated.

However, based on the food quality and pricing, we wouldn’t unfortunately return or recommend...

AMAZING FOOD!!! One of our favorite spots at Heritage Le Telfair was definitely Ginja restaurant. The setting is just perfect, right on the beach, with the sound of the ocean and the most beautiful view.

But the real magic happened on our plates. Chef Ved made sushi that honestly melted in our mouths. So fresh, delicate, and full of flavor.And all the fish and ingredients are locally sourced, which we absolutely loved. Big bravo for the sustainability! 👏🏻

Then came the desserts by Chef Kanen and another WOW!!!! One of them instantly brought back memories from our time in Taiwan. And the laksa? Pure comfort, full of Malaysian vibes.

What made it even more special was how friendly the chefs were. You could feel how much they love what they do and that made us so happy. So happy that we went to this restaurant 3 times during our 6 day stay 🙈

Thank you chefs!!!! And thank you our waiter Ashley 🤍

Thank you Chef Ved, Chef Kanen, and the whole Ginja team — for the food, the warmth, and for turning dinner into a...

I visited here for complimentary dinner in my honeymoon. With a warm welcoming, the decoration on the table for honeymoon couple was delightful. However, the option given to us for the course and the taste of food were far beyond my expectation in a bad way :( I know it was complimentary, but if I already knew what was gonna happen, I would have not take the complimentary service. We liked some part of the exotic combination of the ingredient and sauce, though. To be more specific, it took some time to get used to the taste that I've never had while traveling more than 15 countries on this planet. I'm not sure guests from countries other than East Asia would like it, but I'm sure there won't be many East Asian people like it at the first bite.

Overall, despite of the name "Gin ja", which is the name of a district in Tokyo, Japan, this restaurant lacks of understanding, experience, skill, and knowledge about the East...