SUSHISAMBA London — Restaurant in London

I had high expectations for this day, how could I hope for anything better than booking a restaurant in a skyscraper overlooking the heart of magnificent London? My assessment is based on value for money, so if I'm spending nearly 300 pounds on a special event, I'll be very careful about the service and food I'll be offered. This experience begins at the foot of this immense skyscraper. Upon entering, we're greeted by a young woman who asks us the name of our reservation, directs us to the elevator, and shows us the floor we need to go to. At lightning speed, we're whisked to the top floor, where the view is breathtaking. As soon as we arrive and exit the elevator, we're hit by suffocating hot air, just like when you open the oven at home. There, we meet another person who points us to the restaurant downstairs. The atmosphere is welcoming and well-decorated. We arrive at a bar, and another person at the cash register welcomes us and shows us to our table. The air in the room was suffocating, I felt completely uncomfortable. I was offered a table next to a noisy and unattractive industrial fan with a view of the wall... obviously, I declined. Looking at the menus, there were three set menu options and then the à la carte one. My wife and I chose the most expensive of the set menus, unfortunately, you couldn't choose two different set menus; the price listed was per person, but you were required to order for two. I consider this a bad commercial choice; tasting menus should be prepared differently. We ordered drinks: bottled sparkling water, which was given to us in an open bottle filled from the purifier and warm—unheard of! I ordered a glass of a specific Italian wine, and it was served as the house wine; I didn't see which bottle it came from. We asked for ice twice and it was given to us without any tongs to pick it up. All the food was brought to the table on a single plate with no cutlery to share. I was sure I'd ordered two sets of menus, so I would have expected the food to be divided by dish. If the menu includes more than just sushi, I expect a fork and knife in addition to chopsticks, and if I eat something with my hands, even wet wipes. The appetizers were nothing I wouldn't have found anywhere else. The taquitos were freezing cold, and the truffle on the salmon was rubbery and tasteless. The meat was saltless and had no coriander, absolutely not. Only the cod fillet was divine, tasty, and well-cooked. The rice? No. The sushi? No. The dessert was a good idea because it was something new and well-made. A service charge of over £40 was added to the bill, which I obviously paid. Honestly, it wasn't a...

We came in for to Sushi Samba to have my friends leaving lunch but there was a lot to say.

I will start with the food and drinks. The food was great we had lovely sushi the sushi samba signature one and California, and for the started we both had tuna ceviche. As you can see no photo because we just ate them as they were really good. The desserts were amazing, the designs and the taste was epic. The drinks were incredible, we had the lychee cooler let me tell you that stuff is addictive, we had their sake that was incredible. At the end we had 2 rolls of sushi, 2 desserts and 6-8 drinks.

The service… This is where it all went down the drain. As soon as we got to sit down, the server approached us and started taking our order. When we ordered the two starters, two rolls, two desserts and drinks, she said “This is not going to be enough for you” and “You should order a main too”. My jaw just dropped, I asked her why would you say so its 12noon early lunch on a Friday. To what she answered “It won’t be enough, you need to order more”. We both kindly declined her “recommendation”.

Whilst our food was coming to us, she would constantly moan that we need to order more. On the opposite side of us she had a couple that was sat not next to the window and a different table that had a group business lunch. This server tried to rush us so much, let alone we was there not even 30minutes. The server was running around that group table and when we wanted to get her attention to refill our water jug she didn’t care.

We finished our lunch and wanted to pay. Here we ask her 3 times maybe more to get our bill to which she said “I have to prioritize this group and get their bill”. Fine, no problem. The server gave their bill and the group left, this lady, she opens the little book that they give with a receipt and looks at it and there’s no tip, she storms off. This is where I believe that sometimes if people look to you that they will tip you £££ but they don’t this was you get for disrespecting the other tables. We got our bill from a difference server and still tipped her additionally to the service charge.

After this visit to Sushi Samba, will I go there to eat? No. Will I go there for drinks? Yes! But I am okay to stay in their bar section. Also, after such experience I have told my clients, friends and family and their reaction was everything “Why did you tip such a horrendous service?”

I hope that Sushi Samba, will give their servers a educational training on “clients looks”. As their servers are not great at being kind and...

Came for a fine dining birthday treat, but sadly walked into a food marathon with a side of housekeeping. £130 per person for overcooked steak, cocktails that looked like kids’ juice (photo says it all), and staff sweeping the floor between tables. If this is “luxury dining,” then my local takeaway deserves a Michelin star.

I rarely write negative reviews, but my recent experience at this restaurant was so disappointing that I feel compelled to share.

This is a well-known place with beautiful views, yet the service and food quality were shockingly poor, far from what you would expect for the prices charged.

From the start, the staff looked neglected in both appearance and attitude. The service was rushed and unprofessional — at one point, while I was serving from a plate, a waiter suddenly moved it away without a word just to make space for other dishes. Staff didn’t introduce or explain the dishes they brought, and basic etiquette seemed completely absent.

My husband booked this for my birthday, specifically requesting an intimate table with a city view. While we did get the view, the table was placed just a few centimetres away from the staff station, which ruined any sense of privacy as we were surrounded by constant staff movement.

The food itself was unacceptable for the “ultimate package” (£130 per person). Cocktails (£18 each) looked and tasted amateurish, more like a poorly mixed juice than a refined drink. The steaks ordered medium-well were served well-done and flavourless, the sushi rolls looked far from fresh, and the yellowtail tuna tataki tasted unpleasant, drowned in an overpowering sauce.

To make matters worse, throughout the evening a staff member kept sweeping the floor between the tables, even brushing against customers’ feet. This felt more like being in a food court than in a fine dining restaurant.

We were so disappointed that we cancelled our booking for the bar, preferring to pay the £40 cancellation fee than endure more of the same poor service and quality.

For a restaurant charging such high prices, the experience was a complete rip-off. I have dined at Michelin-starred restaurants at similar prices where the service, food quality, and atmosphere were outstanding. Unfortunately, this place was the exact opposite.

I only took one picture with my amazing cocktail ,and that was enough to remind me how poor the...