Orizuru Sushi Bar

Overall 1.8 - Food 1, Ambience 4, Value 1, Service 1

Having long loved this gem of a place, my heart was broken on my last outing here. The newly renovated space has lost all its former intimacy and warmth. I took two friends and we were the only patrons. The service was curt and neglectful. The new menu had comparatively very few items to choose from and our order took more than 30 minutes to arrive at our awkwardly placed table. Most devastating of all, my meal - a large bowl of dry, tepid, stodgy rice - was topped with a handful of the nasty, muddy offcuts of fish that any self-respecting chef would use only for stock. I hope to hear that someone has a better experience with the new Orizuru or I may never go back.   (arabella - See my reviews (8) - November, 2010)

Overall 4.5 - Food 5, Ambience 4, Value 5, Service 4

Since the renovations, things have certainly slipped. What was once a delight is now very ordinary. While the overall space has been increased, the restaurant is now cramped such that you can no longer comfortably move between tables without another patron moving their chair in. Service has slipped with long waits between courses, as has the quality of the food, with the sushimi dry and tastless, and several dishes being reheated, notably the Teriyaki chicken was dried out and charred on top to a point of being akin to leather. Very disappointing, particularly as their prices have also increased.   (Winkle - See my reviews (22) - October, 2010)

Overall 7.5 - Food 8, Ambience 6, Value 9, Service 7

In general, a good unpretentious Japanese restaurant with genuine Japanese food, and good service. The ingredients were fresh with the sushi melting in the mouth, the Yakatori was perfectly cooked as was the Tempura. The only thing I could fault was that there was a little too much Wasabi on the Nigiri, thus overpowering the taste of the other ingredients.   (Winkle - See my reviews (22) - May, 2009)