Le Yoji

My wife and I arrived without a reservation and were told that it was unlikely we would be able to eat here as the wait was likely to be considerable. We had never eaten Japanese food before and had been looking forward to this evening and so we decided to wait. When it became clear that we were not leaving we were seated almost immediately. We explained to the waitress that we were new to Japanese food and needed her help. She suggested a "mêlée" which we understood would be a selection of different items which she initially said was for two but then went on to ask if we would like one each. After checking with her that this was reasonable we opted for one each. A completely disinterested waiter served us two absurdly large plates of raw fish, soy sauce, plain rice and sliced ginger. We both have great appetites but were not able to eat half of what was served and had to send them back uneaten. This was such an inappropriate recommendation for 2 newcomers to Japanese food and we were very unhappy at receiving a bill for 94 euros (over £30 per plate of fish).

Raw fish? Not really. We had rather hoped to get a varied selection of Japanese cuisine, not a protein overdose of Sushi. We were unable to explain this to the waitress and so asked for the Maitre D' who came to our table. She understood exactly what had happened and was in no doubt that we were unhappy. Any half-decent restauranteur who had the slightest notion of the meaning of service would have offered not to charge for the second plate, or would at least tried to make some peace (even a complementary glass of wine would have been some sort of gesture) but not this madame! Apart from saying "I am sorry for you" she made not one jot of compromise. We left feeling that we had been advised and fed quite inappropriatley, served with disinterest ... and completely ripped off to boot!