Mikaku — Restaurant in Great Britain

Visited Mikaku for the first time at the weekend and felt I had to write a review as it was a very mixed experience.

The food was excellent, and we were very pleased with the total bill, definitely great value for money. The vegetarian options were brilliant & I was really happy that they weren’t that spicy at all (appeals to me as I really don’t like spicy food!) however my partner with pleased with his demon ramen.

Based on the food alone & the price I would definitely return….however the service we received would make me think otherwise.

When we entered we were asked to wear a mask (a little unpleasantly may I add), ok not a problem, we obliged. This was dampened by the fact that afterwards we witnessed the server on several occasions walking around not wearing their mask properly.

We were seated at a bar area which would have been fine for a quick bite however we had booked the table for a dinner slot and booked for 2 hours with the plan to have a large meal, a few drinks & enjoy our time. The bench we were on wasn’t suitable for this. Neither was the high chairs with no back. As someone with back problems, I struggled from the get-go to even begin to be comfortable. My partner asked the server if we could be seated at a table (and explained the issue with my back pain) - the restaurant was not busy and there was several tables available - and was told that the “restaurant policy” was that couples were seated at the bar and larger parties were seated at a table. My partner didn’t argue with this however during our stay we witnessed at least 3 other couples enter the restaurant and be seated at available tables that were set up for at least 4 people and none of these couples had anyone join them at a later time. So we were a little miffed as we were previously told that couples aren’t allowed to sit at tables. During our visit we also weren’t asked how the food was, or if we wanted any more food or drinks.

We had booked the table for 2hours but left in under an hour. Even getting the attention or someone to settle the bill was a bit of a struggle. Disappointing as I probably would have bought several alcoholic cocktails and had my eye on the puddings but we didn’t bother to stay any longer.

Such a shame since we enjoyed the food that much and were so excited to try Mikaku for the first time but I’m unsure whether we’ll...

We visited for a New Year’s Eve meal after being recommended. Unfortunately, poor service let us down.

Booked in advance for 5 people. After we were seated, the server informed us it might be a bit slower due to staff absence—no problem.

We ordered cocktails; the whole table was served at different times. The cocktails that arrived were poor; the mojitos clearly had minimal mint in them, and the margaritas were also poor.

We asked for water for the table. At this point, 7.30, they started turning tables away, which should have been a sign. While ordering, we were informed that half the options with pork were not available and changed to Kastu curry and sides. requested extra sauce for one person. The server asked if that’s all we wanted (1 main and 3 sides per couple). When we asked if he thought we should order more, he said no, but the kitchen was closing.

Food arrived, and again, at different times, some people finished eating before others arrived. Some people were on their second cocktail while others were waiting for food. Second Gyoza never arrived until we questioned it and they checked and said it’s being made now.

Staff were cleaning tables around us at this point (around 8 p.m.). Water never arrived. Extra sauce never arrived. When we asked what was happening, they said they forgot, and 10 minutes later, still nothing. We had to chase up Second Drinks multiple times, and the guys settled for beer on tap to reduce the wait.

The waiter came over and asked if we wanted the bill. We still had food on the table and were eating. He came back as soon as we were finished and asked if we wanted the bill again; we accepted our losses at this point.

At the end of the meal, we asked the server what his plans were for the new year, and he informed us they were going to his house in 15 minutes (explaining the poor, rushed service).

Shame, as the food we received was actually reasonable, but the cocktails were poor, and the disjointed service meant we did not enjoy our meal. Especially for NYE, I’m not sure why they accepted the booking for 7.30 if they wanted people out the door at 8.30.

Unfortunately would not recommend this place and hopefully it’s not...

Went in for a catch up with a friend for a late lunch, we had booked a table in advance. My friend arrived first and was sat at the nicer table by the window but was asked after 5 minutes to move to a simple table so a couple could have that one which I find extremely unprofessional. Only us and one other table were inside. The atmosphere was nonexistent, so quiet inside that we felt like everyone could hear us speaking to each other, no music playing or anything.

We were just saying our hellos, before being able to look at any menus at all we were quickly asked for our drinks order. We asked the waitress if she could come back in a little bit. Only a minute later another waitress had came up and asked if we’d like to order food? We hadn’t even ordered drinks let alone looked at the food options. Because of this we just ordered lemonades since we hadn’t had a chance to choose a cocktail from their menu. Again, only a minute after we were asked by the first server for our food order and just ordered a couple things without being able to properly look over the menu.

Our food came out quite quickly and was roasting hot, looked very appealing. However the chicken karaage tasted so off we didn’t even finish half of it between us. The katsu curry had a very strange taste yet was so flavourless at the same time. The rice was so stodgy. I was rather ill after we left.

Despite the waitresses being very eager to get our orders in, no one came to the table to see if we needed new drinks or anything. The waitresses were very lovely but seemed absolutely miserable.

Afterwards we were thinking of getting dessert to find out that they only had two flavours of ice cream available and nothing else.

We felt pretty rushed despite the restaurant being dead, not a great atmosphere especially when the staff seem very unhappy in their jobs.

Overall I think this restaurant has potential, especially given how nice it looks but a restaurant can’t just look nice. New management is needed asap and will be the only way to “save mikaku”. Treat your staff better, use quality food, get a bit of music on and teach basic food hygiene, I didn’t plan on spending hours on the toilet after a...