Sushiya 寿し也 — Restaurant in City of Edinburgh

Ah, another entrant in the Japanese dining scene, but alas, it seems more a fling than a genuine affair with the cuisine. As one who has lived in Japan and savored the delights of British fare for nigh on half a decade, I arrived with discerning taste buds, only to find them sorely disappointed.

Now, let us sift through the pros, for they do exist, albeit in scarce measure:

Firstly, the decor, reminiscent of an izakaya, replete with a plethora of Japanese-themed pictorial menus adorning the walls. A visual treat, indeed, though regrettably, bearing little resemblance to the restaurant’s actual offerings. The irony of a Karaage dish flaunting a modest 300 Yen (£1.58) price tag in Japanese script, while their own rendition commands a princely sum of £7.9, is not lost on me. Quite the expectation-setter, I must say.

On to the victuals - piping hot and cooked through, a commendable feat.

However, let us not linger too long in the realm of praise, for the pitfalls are aplenty:

The audacious pricing, in relation to the quality proffered, leaves much to be desired. One could justify such tariffs amidst the hustle and bustle of Soho, but in the more subdued environs of Edinburgh, one expects commensurate quality, alas, to no avail. The amateurish plating fails to disguise the paltry portion of chicken Karaage, bereft of seasoning. As for the teriyaki chicken rice - a bland chicken, rice reminiscent of a marathon simmer, and an unseasoned boiled egg that leaves one at a loss for words.

Authenticity, or the lack thereof, is a sore point. One cannot simply sprinkle teriyaki sauce and lay claim to Japanese cuisine; it’s akin to dubbing oneself a maestro after a brief dalliance with a kazoo.

I recall a Philippine-inspired ramen emporium in London, a veritable delight to the senses, where £30 felt a fair exchange for the culinary journey. Yet here, £24 leaves a bitter taste of deception. Fear not, Edinburgh boasts myriad authentic Japanese options, though, alas, this establishment does not number among them.

A word to the wise for the proprietor: Seek out a chef versed in the ways of Japanese cuisine, for if authenticity is the aim, then it behooves one to deliver. Alternatively, if culinary mediocrity is the path chosen, then let us bid adieu to the facade of authenticity, for Japanese cuisine deserves better than this...

One Star Review for a REASON… Extreme and Genuine disappointment with the dinner I had at this restaurant. To be frank, I regret ever dining there, and I will never return. The food quality, portion sizes, and overall value for money were absolutely unacceptable.

We ordered three items: • Softshell Crab Tempura (£12.90) • Chef’s Seafood Don (£22.90) • Volcano Roll (£12.90)

First, regarding the Softshell Crab Tempura, I specifically asked the waitress how many pieces were included, and she informed me there would be four. Given the price, I expected at least two crabs split in half. However, what arrived at our table was a single, tiny crab. Two of the “pieces” were nothing more than thin little legs, smaller than my pinky finger. Charging £12.90 for that portion is outrageous.

Next, the Volcano Roll was completely unacceptable. The rice was wet, mushy, and sticky—nothing like proper sushi rice. Furthermore, the tempura inside was flavorless and soggy, making the entire dish unpleasant to eat.

The worst of all was the Chef’s Seafood Don. The sashimi portion was shockingly small, with only one thin, paper-like slice of each type of fish. For a dish that costs £22.90, this was beyond disappointing.

This was one of the worst dining experiences I have had. The food was overpriced and absolutely not worth the cost. I sincerely hope you take this feedback seriously.

Regards the comment left from the restaurant: I only reviewed once as I never had any such bad experience in other restaurants in Edinburgh. If the restaurant is that not taking advice from customers but instead ask them to go to other shop. How good the restaurant will be?!?!?!?! Thanks for your reply tho. Good luck with your business. Btw, the restaurant also only reply to...

My boyfriend and I often passed by this place since it’s quite close to our flat, but we’d never managed to catch it open, even after checking their hours online. Finally, we decided to make a reservation to ensure we could experience it for ourselves.

We received a confirmation email which stated that they could only hold our table for 10 minutes, so we made sure to arrive on time. However, when we got there, there were no available tables. We ended up waiting over 20 minutes past our reservation time before being seated. When we mentioned our booking, the waitstaff looked bewildered and didn’t speak to us after that. For the first 10 minutes of our wait, we were only given a hand gesture indicating we should wait. During our wait, we overheard other customers complaining about having to wait for a long time before being able to place orders or ask for the bill.

As for the food, it was decent, nothing particularly impressive. The noodles in my ramen were clumped together; the sushi portions were quite small and the fish didn’t seem very fresh, though the taste was still fine.

There was also a service charge already included to the bill, leaving no option to opt out of tipping for the service we weren’t impressed with.

Throughout the meal, I couldn’t help but feel disappointed. It’s such a shame because the restaurant’s interior design is gorgeous and really sets a great atmosphere. It definitely made the experience feel like it had so much potential, but unfortunately, the service and food...