Sushi Samurai

4.5 Below Average

Food  5      Ambience  5      Service  4      Value  4     

As a regular customer and fan of Sushi Samurai I have to say that something has changed recently and I'm not enjoying their food as much as I used to.

We occasionally eat in, but usually just order takeaway since it's so close to home. The quality of the takeaway meal I just ate was so poor it prompted this review.

Granted it was a Saturday night, but when you tell a customer that your food will be ready in 15 minutes, you have that meal ready then. I was told it would be another 10 minutes (and in that time parts of my order were ready and sitting on the counter getting cold).

My Wagyu Steak main was utterly disappointing. Considering it is one of their most notable dishes, I expected it to be of the same quality I've always enjoyed (both sit down and takeaway). This one was undercooked, the bean sprouts were raw and there was grizzle in the steak.

The miso has also changed. I don't know what's happened, but the quality of the food this time was bad.

May 26, 2012 

6.5 Recommended

Food  5      Ambience  8      Service  7      Value  6     

Was craving nice authentic Japanese food on a Tuesday night, thought about going to Sushi Samurai which usually have great food and service. Wrong decision. Food was below average to put it politely, Soft shell crab was soggy, Scampi sushi was not its usual fresh sweet taste and even the rice in the Dragon roll was dry and slightly hard.

I now understand why there has been so many recent bad reviews, hopefully their standards will improve soon, otherwise you risk loosing more and more of your loyal customers.

Feb 01, 2012 

9 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  9      Service  9      Value  9     

This is one of my favourite Japanese restaurants. The ambience is great! the service is excellent! and the food.... ooh so yum! we always walk away very full and satisfied. I have booked 2 dinners so far with 15 or more guests and we are always accommodated very well. They run happy hour from 6.30pm I think with cheap jugs of Japanese beers with a bowl of prawns. Our favourites are the sizzling wagyu beef, bento meals, grilled squid, and the best green tea ice cream around! I also rate the sashimi platter for the freshest fish you would have.

Jan 26, 2012 

6.5 Recommended

Food  6      Ambience  8      Service  6      Value  6     

I thought the food here was average but way too pricey. I had dinner here with my partner and we ordered the agedashi tofu, seafood tempura, sukiyaki beef udon and cucumber wrap roll. The tofu was disappointing because they didn't use silken tofu, so it wasn't as smooth as it should be/usually is.

The seafood tempura was a little unique as I've never had tempura scallops before and now I know why. The scallop was pretty tasteless, so having it deep fried in tempura batter and dipped in tempura sauce didn't add much taste to it. The tempura fish was also pretty poor as the taste of the fish wasn't overly pleasant.

The cucumber wrap roll was quite nice. Had a nice combination of textures with the freshness of the cucumber and the tartness of the pickled mushrooms. The sukiyaki beef udon was pretty good too but the beef was overcooked and the sukiyaki sauce/soup a tad too sweet so it was as balanced as it should have been.

I thought the service was pretty average. I feel rushed as they kept coming back to ask if we were ready to order the drinks when we told them that we weren't ready. Some of their wait staff don't speak English all too well, so it was a little difficult to ask for something off the menu when we ordered desserts.

Jan 16, 2012 

9 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  8      Service  10      Value  9     

I have eaten at this restaurant so many times I have lost count. The food is always fresh and well presented! The staff are friendly and nice! I have only good things to say about this place. I have never left hungry or disappointed. If you want top class Japanese food go to the Sydney CBD or Japan and pay $250 plus per head without alcohol. Then go and have a whinge because it cost too much! I recommend this place to anyone! Good food, nice staff and reasonably priced!

Jan 14, 2012 

5.3 Average

Food  4      Ambience  6      Service  7      Value  4     

This place is average at best, went for an early dinner 6pm with husband toddler plus baby in a stroller and was told no I couldn't take my stroller in. Ok fair enough although being 6 the place was virtually empty so didn't make too much sense. Then ordered salmon and avocado sushi which came out with rock hard avocado which we sent back, it then came out minus the rock hard avocado which we sent back again to finally getting what we ordered!

Other than that the food was basic nothing to rave about, this is the third time I have been here because it's just up the road from where we live but I definitely won't be back. Only plus is the super friendly waitresses!

Jan 05, 2012 

9.3 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  9      Service  9      Value  10     

What a great restaurant this is. The staff are friendly, the service slick and the food sensational. I recently took a client here for lunch. We had between us the lunch special which was Teriyaki Fish, Chicken Karage, Sashimi plate and a dozen mixed nigiri.

The fish was cooked to perfection and there was enough for the two of us. Same with the chicken. The sashimi and nigiri was fresh and beautifully presented. All this for less than $70!

I will be definitely coming back to this place on a regular basis. It has avoided becoming pretentious like so many Sydney Japanese restaurants have. This restaurant is excellent value for money with sensational tasting food.

Nov 28, 2011 

8.5 Highly Recommended

Food  10      Ambience  6      Service  10      Value  8     

One of my dining place for lunch and dinner, excellent quality on food and very fresh sushi, actually their standard is same across all of their restaurant, however, the only thing I mark them down, is the seating is not very comfortable, as they don't really want you to occupy their table, so very uncomfortable seating, ok if you are on the run for quick meal.

Sep 18, 2011 

2.5 Not Recommended

Food  7      Ambience  1      Service  1      Value  1     

I had never heard of Sushi Samurai until a friend invited us to her birthday dinner. She raved at how good the food was and how cosy the restaurant felt, so we were expecting good things from our night out. When we arrived we were told that the first people to get there weren't allowed in as our entire group wasn't there yet so with young babies they were made to wait in the cold and rain. Once everyone arrived and we were all seated we decided on our intended meal and started to place our order.

Some wanted the banquet, some wanted individual items. To this we were told, NO… if 2 people want the banquet, all had to have the banquet! The menu stated a minimum of 2 people for the banquet was required. We argued with the waitress for up to an hour before they agreed to let us get what we wanted providing that we spent over $40 per person. The food then arrived in reverse order, getting our mains before our entrees.

Starving at this stage we got stuck in. This wasn’t the end to the terrible service. When the bill arrived, we had been charged corkage for every glass used. This meant that the birthday girl had 3 additional charges, as she had moved tables once or twice. To sum it up… avoid this restaurant! You get better service at McDonalds!

Jun 29, 2011 

1.8 Not Recommended

Food  1      Ambience  4      Service  1      Value  1     

I can't believe this place is still in business with the quality of food and the service that you wouldn't normally get from a Japanese run restaurant. The food was very basic, and even then the typical basic Japanese meals they served were very poorly made. I started to suspect that they weren't actually Japanese in the kitchen at all. I couldn't get through my starter (Agedashi Tofu) which was absolutely caked in batter, and the main which was Tonkatsu was rubbery and unedible, I could barely eat any of it.

The sushi looked alright but was filled with mayonnaise which overpowered the flavour of the sashimi inside, obviously catering to western tastes as I have never eaten sushi that tasted like that in Japan. I wouldn't recommend this place to anyone. Very disappoiniting as I thought it would be impossible to find a genuine Japanese restaurant that served poor quality food in this city.

Jun 21, 2011