TomYumBar — Restaurant in Tashkent

WARNING to all other customers. Poor rating because I disapprove of this kind of con targeting clients. Maybe because they thought we were foreigners/ tourists they took the liberty to do this.

Shame on this place to use this forceful trick when everywhere else we ate in Tashkent had been not only delicious but properly priced.

In this restaurant, our 17yo son ordered a bottle of still water. The waiter came to say he did not have COLD small still water ( 28k soms) unless in a big bottle he had brought to us. Fine 1 litre you'd think it's okay.

On the final bill (that I thankfully checked) I noticed the bottle of still water was 75cl and more expensive than his teriyaki chicken dish (55k soms) and more expensive than his dad's pepsi at 20k soms and my fancy lemongrass lemonade ( 40k soms). One bottle of water was almost the same price as my main Tom Kha dish (89k soms).

The blue bottle of STILL water was 85k soms!! Who on earth thought that still water should be more expensive than your main or a cocktail!

But the bad thing here is that you can spot the trick to force the customer... we were presented with the bottle ! Not once the waiter bareky older than my son thought of divulging its outrageous price to warn us, to ask my son if he would rather drink 2 pepsi ( 20k soms each ) plus a lemonade (40k soms) instead as this would still be cheaper!!

The trick is that, in this August heat, to tell your customer that they only have cold water in this blue bottle. Wow!

I mentioned it to the waiter who did not bat an eye lid as he was probably told to do this scam and to the Maitre d" who didn't care, not apologising for selling still water worth more than what his cooks were preparing ( I could see at least 6 of them labouring over dishes behind him) Instead giving us the card for the other branch. No way, you lost customers here as we are not loyal to places that take customers on a ride...

We are fortunate to be able to afford to eat in this place so we paid but it's by principle so dishonest... I had to let...

The service was a bit unpredictable, staff were respecting however often took a bit long. Food is great, however Asian cuisine is definitely not for everyone. Many come here for the notable Tom yum soup, however it was not my particular cup of tea, unlike the case for many others who come here. Pho however was great, at the level of actual Vietnamese establishments, sushi rolls were delicious. We also ordered Scallop tartare, it was an interesting new flavour however not something I would eat everyday. Salmon sashimi was surprisingly great, given that the location is in the most land-locked country in the world. The presentation of each dish was great. Though i did not like some of the dishes, I believe its because of personal preference over actual preparation and objective taste. As said previously, Asian cuisine can be very exotic and not everyone may find it delicious regardless of restaurant. I believe every dish at this location is deserving of a try. Lastly, the atmosphere was very modern and clean, however it can feel crowded at times and rightfully so. If you're here at the right times, it will either be quiet and calm or busy and noisy. Toilets are modern and are cleaned every 30 minutes, as stated in their schedules. It is a pricy establishment though the prices are justified, and still it is cheaper than most places of the same quality...

Don’t go there when you only speak English as only one guy could speak some broken words. At least they provide menus in English.

What’s a total rip off is that they charge 15% additional to the amount of your check for dine in! I don’t mind giving tip to the staff for a wonderful and attentive service, but today the service wasn’t worth that high amount of extra money they charge. It misses a lot of hospitality and professionalism when it’s obligatory and especially when no one can speak English 🤷🏼‍♀️ The service provided wasn’t the extra money worth! A total scam!

The restaurant was only visited by few guests although it was the best time for dinner and other spots around were full.

I had the Tom Yum soup, which was very delicious but the portion compared to the price was tiny and it also lacked...