Upscale Japanese cuisine like sashimi, sushi & wagyu beef, plus sake & cocktails, in chic surrounds.
Address and Contact Information
Address: 157 Westbourne Grove, London W11 2RS, United Kingdom
Phone: +44 20 4524 0880
Website: https://www.sushisumi.com/
Menu Photos
Order and Reservations
Reservations: sevenrooms.com
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SUMI | Sushi and Japanese Restaurant in Notting Hill, London
Sumi – London – a MICHELIN Guide Restaurant
Menu | SUMI | Sushi and Japanese Restaurant in Notting Hill, London
Reviews
Unfortunately, it was a huge disappointment.
We ordered sashimi and temaki. I won’t comment on the portion size — for Michelin-related restaurants, smaller portions are expected, and I was prepared for that. So let’s focus purely on the taste and quality.
The sashimi was, frankly, very, very average. Only the shrimp was barely acceptable. The rest was extremely mediocre. The tuna even had a slightly fishy smell. As for the temaki, the seaweed was too dry and felt completely separate from the rice — there was no sense of harmony. At this price level, I also don’t think it’s acceptable to serve regular wasabi paste. Freshly grated wasabi should be standard. What we received tasted like the kind of wasabi you can easily buy in any supermarket. Overall, the food simply did not match the price.
Now let’s talk about service — which, at this level and price point, is just as important as the food itself. The service was minimal at best. We were simply shown which was the wine list and which was the menu. When we tried to ask about the origin of the seafood, the staff didn’t really give us the opportunity to ask questions. During the meal, dishes were cleared away very quickly, and the bill was brought almost immediately after we finished eating. I did not feel any genuine hospitality.
As a Japanese food enthusiast, I have dined at restaurants of various levels in Beijing, Shanghai, Tokyo, Seoul, and Toronto. In my opinion, the quality of this restaurant would be considered very ordinary — even below some boutique Japanese restaurants in those cities. It certainly does not compare to other Michelin-recommended Japanese restaurants. I wouldn’t say it was bad, but it was far from impressive.
When evaluating a restaurant, it’s unrealistic and unfair to ignore price. Considering the quality of ingredients and taste compared to Japanese restaurants in other major international cities, this place feels like a very average establishment. If the prices were reduced to half of their current level, I would consider it reasonable and would gladly give five stars. However, given the overly high pricing and service that does not match the cost, I can only give two stars.
Our favourite dishes were the toro-taku temaki and the hamachi temaki — both incredibly fresh and full of flavour. For starters, we highly recommend the sesame seaweed salad and the yellowtail sashimi salad — both beautifully balanced and refreshing.
But the real highlight was the otoro nigiri — simply incredible. The texture and flavour were perfect, easily one of the best we’ve ever had.
The service was warm and attentive, and the whole experience felt polished yet relaxed.
The food was incredible. We got the scallop and seabass nigiri – the scallop nigiri was divine. It was so creamy and with the perfect amount of wasabi in the rice. We then got the toro-taku temaki – we loved it so much that we ordered a second round of it! The tuna was phenomenal, and the fermented radish pieces gave great texture and flavour. We also got the beef gohan – the chef mixed it at the table, and it was the most perfect blend of meaty, creamy and tangy. The food was simple, yet delicious and masterfully prepared.
Cannot recommend Sumi enough!
Fresh fish and a cool menu, the atmosphere is relaxed and welcoming.
Staff is very kind.
RAMBUTA is highly suggested as is perfect for share
Matcha millefoglie – a must order and make sure is not sold out when you arrive
I have been a regular at Sumi for a long time and my past visits have always been consistent and enjoyable. Unfortunately my three most recent experiences have fallen far below the standard I am familiar with.
The first incident happened at the bar. The waiter splashed a significant amount of water onto my friend and did not notice. We assumed it was an accident and did not raise it. On another visit the waiter dropped the entire Gohan bowl into our rice. The food was still edible but it felt unhygienic because the bottom of the bowl had been in the waiter’s hand. On the most recent visit a large prawn was dropped onto the table and was simply picked up and thrown away with no apology or acknowledgement.
The temaki surprised me the most because it has always been the highlight of our meals. This time almost every piece contained an overwhelming amount of wasabi that made it difficult to enjoy.
I considered removing the service charge. Since I am a regular customer I decided to keep it and write this review instead so the restaurant can be aware of these problems. I rated the visit two stars because one star was lost for the water incident. One star was lost for the excessive wasabi. One star was lost for the prawn that was dropped with no apology.