On Sunday evening, my cousins and I went to London's hottest new restaurant, Sexy Fish. The restaurant's star studded opening has led to a jam packed reservations diary. But luckily for us, my cousin is a serial networker who can pretty much get us a table any time and anywhere.
The interior is worth the hype. It is stunning with a beautiful bar running down one side of the restaurant and tables and booths scattered around the rest. I was dying to see the large fish tanks in the private dining area but unfortunately it was booked out.
We were seated in a cosy booth near the open kitchen and started to study the food and cocktail menus. I settled on a seasonal Bellini and one of my fellow diners picked a classic Moscow Mule. Nicely presented and not extortionately priced.
Unfortunately our waitress was not very welcoming. Upon ordering, we were reminded that the table had to be vacated within two hours. I know that this is quite a standard policy for top London restaurants these days but restaurant staff should be tactful when they notify you about this. Other top London restaurants such as Hakkasan manage this very well.
We picked a good selection of dishes from different sections of the menu; the raw bar, skewers, cold dishes, hot dishes and a final one from the robata. Once we'd placed our order for the Salt and Pepper Cornish Squid, we were told it was unavailable. I was little surprised that (1) we were not told about this when the menu was first presented to us and (2) our table was at 6.30pm.... suggesting they'd run out of squid very early on in the evening.
I'm not going to go through each dish in detail because I have one word for them all - mediocre. I couldn't help but compare them to established heavyweights Roka, Nobu, Hakkasan and Zuma - all of whom have had years to perfect flavours and exceptional service.
The Crispy Soft Shell Crab with Wasabi Mayonnaise was my favourite dish but admittedly, it was quite oily. My cousin actually refused to finish her piece.
The Smoked Japanese Sausages with Mustard Miso were basically frankfurters, but hey, I'm not going to complain about a yummy and familiar flavour.
Chicken Wings with Sancho Salt...
Crispy Prawn Roll...with lettuce...
Prawn Gyoza with Soy and Ginger dressing...
Glazed Chilli and Onion Ribs...
Miso Lamb Cutlets with Cucumber...
When it came to dessert, we decided to go for the Cinnamon Doughnuts and the Chocolate Fondant. We placed our order but once again were told (too late) that the fondant was unavailable as the oven was out of order. Teething problems - fine, but not informing the customer when you initially hand out the dessert menus - not so fine. In fact, not at all fine when the bill comes to over sixty pounds per head.
Nevertheless the non-available Chocolate Fondant was a blessing in disguise. The Vanilla Cheesecake with Cherries was probably one of the best I've ever had. The cherries were a little bitter but I think it complimented the sweetness well.
Unfortunately I can't see myself returning to Sexy Fish for dinner. The menu and service didn't excite me and the food just doesn't compare to other restaurants in Mayfair at the same price point. I got the feeling that the food was very much an afterthought at Sexy fish - a classic case of style over substance. I would however, recommend it for drinks. But then, this is a food blog....
Rating: 
http://www.sexyfish.com/