KIMONO SUSHI & THAI GREENSIDE (Halaal) — Restaurant in Gauteng

I had high hopes for this restaurant after seeing it on Instagram and TikTok, and I’ll start by saying that the food did not disappoint. The sushi platter, dumplings, and seafood boil were absolutely phenomenal—fresh, flavourful, and beautifully presented. Truly, the kitchen staff are incredibly talented, and the dishes alone are worth talking about.

However, the overall dining experience left much to be desired.

When I called ahead to place a seafood boil order and enquire about a reservation, I was met with a slightly passive-aggressive tone from (I believe) the manager or owner. He remarked that “most” people order way in advance, even though nothing on their social media mentions this requirement. I brushed it off at the time, but unfortunately, the same attitude continued in person.

On arrival, we stood around awkwardly for a while before someone acknowledged us. Once seated, we waited over 15 minutes before anyone took our order—and only after we called someone over ourselves. The drink order (including a cappuccino that tasted like an instant packet mix and wasn’t even properly stirred) took almost an hour to arrive.

Things also felt a bit disorganised: the table next to us was given the wrong bill, and we were asked to move to accommodate a larger party (which we didn’t mind), but when we politely asked for the new table to be cleaned, the manager seemed visibly annoyed. It made us feel like we were an inconvenience rather than welcome guests.

Despite all this, I do want to highlight that the food is incredible. The sushi was top-tier, and the seafood boil was deliciously rich and satisfying.

All in all, I would absolutely recommend the food, but I do hope the service and overall hospitality improve—especially for first-time customers- honestly I would rather order the food on Uber eats, than to have another dining experience here however with a little more warmth and organisation front-of-house, this spot could easily become...

Disappointing Experience: A Sunday Ruined by Poor ServiceMy recent visit to this restaurant was, without a doubt, the worst dining experience I've had in a long time. We had a reservation specifically for the seafood boil, anticipating a pleasant Sunday meal, but what we got was nothing short of a complete waste of time and an exercise in frustration.Upon arrival, despite only two other customers being present and served, we were left to seat ourselves without any assistance. After waiting for an unreasonable amount of time, we were finally attended to and placed our order, which included a simple request for a glass of warm water. And then, the real wait began.Approximately 15 minutes after our arrival, a group of six entered and were immediately escorted to the table right next to ours. What followed was infuriating: our repeated attempts to get assistance (we called out three times) were met with dismissive assurances like "I'm coming to you now," while the waitress actively prioritized and served the new table. We sat there, watching in disbelief, as she meticulously set up their table, took their orders, and even started bringing out their food. All the while, our table remained bare. We hadn't even received the glass of warm water we'd asked for initially!After waiting for over 30 minutes with absolutely no service or attention, we finally gave up and decided to leave. As we walked out, the waitress again tried her "I'm coming" line. We simply told her that she had been saying that for the past half an hour and we still hadn't even gotten our water.This level of disappointing customer service is unacceptable. I do not recommend this establishment unless you enjoy being ignored and having your valuable time completely disregarded. This was truly a waste...

I was really disappointed by the service during our visit. It took 20 minutes just to get our drinks, and then another 12 minutes after that for our starter to arrive. We ordered the "Korean-style chicken", which unfortunately didn’t live up to the menu’s description — it lacked both the bold flavour and crispy texture it promised.

Things didn’t improve much with the mains. The first two dishes arrived just 3 minutes later, which felt rushed, yet oddly disjointed. The udon portion was shockingly small (barely a side plate) for R95, which didn’t feel like value for money. The chop suey was okay, but also lacked flavour.

Then came an unusually long 17-minute gap before the coconut curry arrived, and I was still waiting for my noodle soup. When it finally came — a full 30 minutes after the first mains — it was tiny (barely the size of my hand), which made the wait even more frustrating. At that point, I couldn’t even enjoy the meal with the rest of my group since everyone’s food had already arrived and gone cold by the time mine was served.

I know they’re known for their seafood boil, and that does take time (make sure to order ahead the day before and be prepared for a ~1 hour wait if you wanna try it), but with just one waiter and the two owners trying to manage everything, it felt like the team was a bit overwhelmed. It came across like they might be short-staffed or still finding their rhythm, which unfortunately affected the overall...