nécco — Restaurant in London

I have been recommending this place for a while, because it’s run by Japanese and the food was quite home-style and authentic. This impression was absolutely gone by today’s visit.

I ordered chicken katsu curry. The chicken was good, but the problem was curry. It was not even warm, but cold. I saw a part of vinyl at the edge of the plate.

More disappointing was the staff’s behaviour. I told one staff that this was not right, because curry should be hot or at least warm. When I said this, she didnt express any apology and just said she would be back and took out my plate (fine). Once she’s back, she asked me back if the curry was not warm. I said that I’ve already said it to you and that you should have checked the curry. Again, she did not apologise. Later, the manager (my guess) came to me, apologised, and asked what other food I wanted. I asked what is the quickest one, and in the end chose udon. This was all right in the sense that there was no major problem. But the amount was so small and the food quality was bad - too salty, no deep taste of broth. Furthermore, I thought at least my food was on the house, but I had to pay my chicken katsu curry, which is unbelievable.

In addition, we asked if we could change the table because the people next to us were so noisy. The staff said we couldnt because we did not make a reservation. But we could see the exact same table for two people empty. Unless people book the exact table, the staff should have swapped the table.

Overall, it was very disappointing this time, and I wont recommend this place anymore, nor do I come back. Horrible day.

Reply to your response: I saw your reply and it was very unreasonable. I had two slices of chicken katsu and one scoop of curry with rice and stopped eating. How come can you say I ate most of chicken katsu curry? My friend can attest it and you can check your surveillance camera that the food was almost untouched. Your reply is a banal lie and I strongly ask you...

I almost never write bad reviews, but last Thursday I ordered the Deluxe Kaiten Chirashi as a takeaway (£23.50) and was honestly shocked by both the quality and preparation process. I had previously visited the restaurant on a Saturday and found the food and the staff very professional, so I was taken by surprise. The staff member (a waitress) who took my order prepared it directly in front of my friend and me, on a disorganised counter behind the till, cluttered with various other items. The fish pieces, which didn't appear fresh, were unwrapped from cling film and cut on what appeared to be an old, worn plastic cutting board. She kept looking at what I presume to be a list of what to include, as if she was making it up as she went along. The entire process lacked the professionalism and care you expect when paying premium prices for Japanese cuisine. For £23.50, I expected a substantial, high-quality chirashi, but what I received was a very small portion of very thin slices of fish that lacked the proper thickness of quality sashimi, poorly cut pieces with straggly, uneven ends. Overall presentation that fell far short of the generous portions of premium-grade, fresh fish prepared by an actual chef I was expecting. I was too shocked by what I was witnessing to cancel my order, which I now regret. The experience was extremely unprofessional from start to finish, and at £23 (more than double their lunchtime special for what appeared to be the same portion size), this represents exceptionally poor value. While I understand restaurants face challenges, charging premium prices creates expectations of premium quality. This experience fell dramatically short of those expectations, and I cannot recommend this particular dish to others seeking authentic...

Was moved to write this by reading a couple of negative reviews that must have been written by people who tried to order a pizza and got annoyed they didnt have any.

This place is a little gem. Japanese restaurants in London seem to fit into two categories: soulless sushi joints for fast lunches and serious wood panelled izakayas where business suits gather to drink sake to the sound of fawning waitresses. Necco is something else: an authentic modern Japanese cafe/restaurant with a lot of personality, great attention to detail, attentive service and good food. On my last visit we had edmame, sushi, takoyaki (octopus balls), okonomiyaki, seaweed salad. We weren't planning to have dessert but the once the owner told us that she hires her own Japanese patissier to make desserts (that she then distributes to exclusive joints all over London at much higher prices) we decided to give them a go, and what a good choice that was. The green tea tiramisu and green tea chocolate tart were honestly amongst the best desserts I can remember (and a total gourmet steal at 3 odd quid)... not too sweet, full of flavour and personality, just like this place. I even - for the first time ever - ordered extra desserts to take home, they were that good. Asakusa in camden is much more fashionable than this place (mostly for the fawning waitresses) , but Necco gets my vote every time: it just looks more like a day cafe with brighter coloured decor, which is why in my opinion you can usually get a table without booking in the evenings as it doesn't have pretensions to be a "serious restaurant", rather it is a relaxed cafe with outstanding food. But if I turn up next tine and they say I should have reserved I swear I'm never writing another Google...