I have passed Sushi 54 a few times walking between Barnes and Putney and, as a fan of good sushi who gets frustrated by London's apparent shortage of establishments devoted to this fine food as opposed to shoving some fish and mayo in a bundle of rice as a starter to a noodle dish, I was intrigued by the name.
The menu is large, varied and mouth-watering, so we went last night on the way to the cinema. Being a Friday, we booked a table. So when we arrived and were the only people there, we understood why there was only one person working the floor.
A little disappointed and bemused by the complete lack of atmosphere, we were quizzical as to why the drinks order of tap water and green tea took quite so long to be served. Upon ordering one of the many sets on offer, and asking for a small tweek in the menu which is advertised on smaller sets, we were told that none of the sets could be changed at all. Hmm. We went ahead and ordered our first choice anyway and sat there hoping for the experience to improve...
We soon realised, when three or more parties came in, that the one guy working there was spending a large portion of time taking phone orders. The gaff wasn't particularly full, but if you only have one person on on a Friday night, it doesn't bode too well...
And then the sushi arrived... All 30 pieces on a glass plate/bowl.. it looked amazing and tasted great. It was fresh, the maki rolls were a good size, more akin to those served in California rather than the Hare and Tortoise, and we left very satisfied having spent £20 a head (including drinks and tips) on authentic, largely mayo-free delicious sushi. Just what I had hoped for walking in.
If anyone finds a time when this place has enough staff and a bit of atmosphere, let me know, because that's all that was lacking. read more