Sakagura

Don’t waste your time here. We arrived at 6 for an early dinner and had told them that we needed to leave before 7.30 for the theatre. We opted for the BBQ charcoal grill. It took them more than 20mins to attend to us at first and bring us outside as the grill had to be used outdoors.  Upon sitting outside and making our order, the service staff were extremely slow as though they had forgotten our presence. A total of almost 1hr from our order and no food served. They brought the charcoal grill itself out after 20mins or so, but from that point about 40mins elapsed with no food brought!  This is despite several attempts on our part to check on the status of the order.  A lady with short black hair, the receptionist, was instead disconcertingly brusque and rude in her responses. The staff overall seemed rushed, harangued, confused and inattentive. As we had to rush for our show, we had to cancel the order that still hadn’t arrived by 7.10pm. The manager came to speak to us and to be fair to him, his service recovery was decent - the only staff response which seemed calibrated and smooth.  

 

Nevertheless, besides the atrocious waiting time and truly poor service, we had to note like other reviewers before us that the price points were also inordinate - you are better off opting for another Japanese restaurant nearby, especially if you want BBQ, you’re better off opting for Kintan, for Robatayaki maybe Roka, and for sushi any number of places elsewhere that have more soul, authenticity and organisation. 

As a complete Nipponophile and someone who would happily survive solely on sushi, I try to limit my visits to the flashier restaurants, knowing that most Japanese places are much more expensive than a western peer. My friend and I were going for a nice girly dinner and had booked a table for two, this increased to five, literally 10 minutes before we were due. Initially, they were going to cram us into a booth as it was a busy Thursday night, but they did manage to accommodate us on a much more commodious table even before we got our drinks. The menu offers something for everyone from Wagyu steaks to Robata to Sushi. Let’s start with the sushi. I ordered the omakase selection, which is circa 16 pieces for £39, a little pricey, but they were exquisite. The tuna was fatty and yielding, the sea bream lovely and buttery, completed with perfectly done eel. My companion had a super Wagyu steak served deliciously pink and chargrilled on the outside, offering a lovely level of smokiness and I am reliably informed that the Black Cod Tonkotsu Ramen is spectacular. (It’s a limited-edition special on the menu, so go and try it immediately before you miss it). They have a great sake list and they will steer you right in your selection without breaking the bank. The service was efficient and unintrusive, if not a little inattentive when our drinks were running low. This place is a great addition to Heddon Street.

Fabulous food. Impeccable service.a true sense of Japan.

Sakagura constitutes a recent addition to the self-styled Heddon Street ‘restaurant quarter’, located one block to the west of Regent’s Street. Given its location and the fact that it is the only Japanese offering here, it will probably do well enough. However, a recent visit was profoundly uninspiring. It’s hard to fault the décor of dark wood, copper and brass; all nice and modern and on-trend. There are also more intimate booths and dining bar downstairs where punters can watch the chefs in action. The service was also efficient in a classically unemotional Japanese way. Furthermore, the presentation of the food was first class, our bento boxes arranged as if they were works of art. However, Sakagura, singularly lacked atmosphere; what the food gained in aesthetics, it lost in taste and quantity; and, the prices aren’t cheap. Begin with the atmosphere. The music was loud and felt distinctly out of place on a weekday lunchtime. Maybe it gets better in the evening, but a more discerning policy in this respect is needed. Those dining on our visit were seated in a disparate way across the restaurant, spread out and isolated, magnifying the place’s relative emptiness. Again, a poor strategy, which could be rectified. Turning to the food and the portions in our lunchtime bento boxes bordered on the stingy; just three very small pieces of sashimi, for example. Moreover, if you are going to charge a £5 supplement for a miso black cod main, then at least make sure it comprises more than about two mouthfuls. The food was tasty, but far from ground-breaking. At this price point (£25; or clearly more if you want the cod or beef teriyaki), I would rather go to nearby Ikeda or Sakana-Tei. Neither may be as modern or as ‘cool’ as Sakagura, but they certainly do better food at this price point.