Kokoro Reading — Restaurant in Reading

Meh, it's okay. Been a few times. It's like a Chinese takeaway but fast casual. Hot food quality is average, sushi is maybe slightly better than supermarket. The primary shortcoming for me is in user experience. A few pointers:

They really pack the pots with food. This is a good thing value-wise, but it makes it difficult to eat without spilling some. You also end up with a thick layer of topping that makes it impossible to access the rice/noodles until you've eaten half of it. I think next time I order the regular size I'll ask them to use the pot they use for the large size.

Most options are very light on the vegetables, too much meat for my taste. It got a bit monotonous eating the same meat over and over without enough vegetables to balance it out.

The rice/noodles to topping ratio is really off. Much more toppings than rice/noodles. Again, I suppose this is good value, but it's the reverse of how it is in other places. I would prefer to have more of the base and less of the calorically dense topping. I could probably ask them to change this when ordering, but I'm reviewing the default configuration so others know what to expect.

Ordering process could have been clearer. On the TV menu screens they lump every option together and don't have separate categories. More effort is required to grok the menu than would be needed if they separated stuff into categories.

This may be my specific instance, but the server got sauce down the side of my pot. I didn't factor this into my rating because it was probably a one-off accident, just bear in mind that it's something that can happen due to the nature or the preparation process.

Internal decor was cheap-looking. Cleanliness was fine, but borderline. Feels like 10% more effort on those fronts would lead to a hugely better experience. Example: the color temperature of the lightbulbs was mismatched, come on, it doesn't take much effort to install matching lightbulbs.

Overall it's acceptable, I would go there again if it was the only thing open or I had a specific craving for this type of food. For what it does there are better options available locally; Wok To Walk for fast casual Asian-inspired food, Itsu (or one of the many other Reading sushi shops) for...

Disappointment with Recent Price Increases

Dear Kokoro Owner,

I hope this letter finds you well, though I regret to say that my purpose for writing is to express my deep dissatisfaction with the recent price increases at your establishment.

To say that I am lost for words would be an understatement. It is disheartening to witness two price hikes within a single year. As someone who, along with my team, regularly patronizes your facilities on a weekly basis, I find it difficult to comprehend the justification for such frequent and substantial increases.

I, personally, had to cease using your service in Reading due to the last price hike earlier this year. It pushed the cost beyond my daily budget, forcing me to limit my favorite lunch to just once a week, if at all affordable.

Today, as I returned to your Reading branch on my team's request, I was shocked to notice yet another price increase. Astonishingly, it is now £1.00 dearer than the same time last year. How can this be justified, especially during a time when there is a cost of living crisis affecting your customers?

It is with great disappointment that our office has decided not to support your establishment any longer. We are collectively expressing our dissatisfaction by voting with our money. I intend to share my views on social media, urging fellow customers to consider alternative options.

The introduction of smaller containers for takeaway medium and large options, seemingly for increased profit, coupled with these relentless price hikes, leaves customers feeling taken advantage of. Your business appears to be closing its doors to customers, evident in shortened queues during peak times and reduced footfall – a direct consequence of what seems to be motivated by greed.

This marks the end of my patronage at Kokoro. I sincerely hope you reflect on the impact of these decisions on your customer base.

Wishing you...

The members of staff were basically rude and undertrained. I repeated 6 times chicken katsu curry with rice large and a set of pumpkin korokke. The lady at the front couldn't understand at all and ordered them incorrectly for me. Then her other colleague stepped in to help and asked me to repeat and say louder. The manager stepped in and said I won't be served as I was rude. Hope they can also put themselves in to their customers shoes and understand their feeling about repeating 7 times in total and still couldn't get their order right. They put 2 quids for an extra portion of curry sauce but charged me 2.5. I asked for a complaint email from the manager and did just throw a piece of paper in front of my face with the invalid email address on it.

I expected the staff understand what they've got on their menu as a customer. Very shocking that how the manager dealt with this situation and not too adaptable and no apology at all. I believe it is inappropriate to refer an unknown customer as rude chinese.

Update: I just opened my bag and only 2 pumpkin korokke were there but...