Shiso

After a weary day of travel we were looking forward to a relaxing dinner with good food and a nice atmosphere. We found neither at Shiso. For starters, the sign out front said they had noodles which was what we were hoping for. Nope– no noodles on the menu when we mistakenly didn’t look at it until after ordering drinks. We could have paid for the drinks and left but we were hoping the «sushi» on the menu would be a nice second choice. After we ordered we began hearing a triad of loud, high pitched beeps. The batteries in the smoke detectors had gone out. All three beeped at various levels in intensity and volume which was annoying but not half as annoying as the waiters response when we mentioned it. He looked at us like we were crazy. Said he couldn’t hear it. It was so loud! Either he lied or was scared to tell the owner/​chef who was out smoking between cooking. We were the only patrons at Shiso (I now know why) and between the awful new age muzac and the beeping, we were really hoping the food would make up for the ambience. Not only was the food awful, the order was incorrect. Save your money and your time. Don’t eat there.

Avoid at all costs!
The sushi is distinctly average and the breadcrumbs on my tasteless katsu curry were burnt. Basically the food is pretty bad but that is not even close to the worst thing about this restaurant — the owner.
You can see from the previous reviews he is cited as a major issue in the majority of them, I didn’t heed the warnings. On my last visit I asked for some Japanese chilli flakes, I actually heard the waitress asking ‘Yannick Bouvier’ for the chilli and he replied ‘don’t give it to him’ — charming! Then our salad wasn’t delivered to the table, I couldn’t be bothered to ask for it so just asked for the bill, the waitress then apologised and asked do we want it to take away, great yes please! Oh no, Mr Bouvier couldn’t be bothered with that, he whispered something to the waitress who then came back to tell us they had run out of the fish (it was a vegetarian salad). At this point at just wanted out so smiled and paid up. After I’d left I then saw that all the prices we’d been charged were about £2 higher than stated on the menu. Atmosphere was nil, only 2 of us in there on a Saturday night, no music.
Seriously just avoid this place, the owner doesn’t deserve customers, head over to crouch end there are far better sushi joints.
The little french restaurant next door is also owned by Mr Bouvier and has just been closed down and raided by the bailiffs so god knows what he’s up to.

Update: Just went in to eat there and NEVER AGAIN. It’s such a shame because Yannick Bouvier — the chef and owner of Shiso is a very talented chef but such a grade A asshole.
He also owns Le Bistro next door which used to serve great French food. Walked past it today though and council notices line the windows. Seems like the council is after him, and have broken in and shut the place down. If you’re seeing this guys he’s right next door!
I feel so sorry for the only waitress that works there who obviously has to deal with his shiz all the time. When we asked for some chilli sauce the waitress timidly went up to him only to be shut down.
When we had finished eating everything and was just waiting for one more dish, the waitress again went up to him only to be told he wouldn’t be making it under his breath. The poor woman had to make up some excuse about there not being anymore fish for that dish … it was a veggie salad.
When we got home we realised we’d been overcharged for the bill. I think they sneakily added on service charge to each individual dish. So cheeky.
Advice to Yannick: hire a front of house manager for gods sake and hide yourself in the back. It’s the only chance you have for survival.

We were walking past Shiso on our way to another restaurant but got distracted — shiso are delicious leaves I really like, and there are big plastic geese swoop hanging from the ceiling plus the menu stated that their meat was free-​range, or RSPCA standard as a minimum so we changed our plans to try Shiso. And it was good.
We got avocado rolls, salmon rolls, salmon sashimi, chicken gyoza, shiso edamame and some rolls from the specials called ‘ooh la la’ rolls that were super good — mmm tempura prawn and avocado rolled in chives. YES. The avocado was deliciously ripe (important) and the salmon was excellent. I couldn’t so much taste any shiso with the edamame but the sashimi came on a shiso leaf which I ate happily. The gyoza were good too, crisp with a flavoursome dip.
The prices were really reasonable — we spent about £30 for the both of us — and it can be so easy to overspend with sushi I think. Service was friendly and we had no problems.
I quite like the décor too though it seems sort of half done. It’s fun, with some graffiti and the flying geese and fairy lights, then some random strip of wallpaper and animal horns and a big alien. It doesn’t quite fill the space and the tables are bit sparse with fake flowers that look like they’ve died. I think they should forget the lame wallpaper strips and fill the walls with graffiti and throw in more lights, but the décor is less important than the food and the food was good and I’ll be going back.

Got a takeaway from here tonight. The best California roll I’ve had in this country. Some other pieces were a bit over riced though. Ok value (it’s sushi, so it’s going to be expensive but I do feel a little under full for what I paid) quick delivery time. I was surprised there’d be such a good sushi joint in hornsey. I’ll be going to the restaurant itself when I’m feeling flush.

The United Kingdom is in a recession, Gordon Brown is under fire and in the queue of businesses pressed up against the precipice of bankruptcy, this one… needs to fall.
Customer Service? They’ve never heard of it. The Sushi «Director» (what? of a sub-​par ‘sushi’ bar?) is named Yannick Bouvier and his bedside manner leaves MUCH to be desired.
Situation? Pitifully arduous. A group of friends and myself ordered sushi — like you do. We ordered around 52 pounds worth, like you probably shouldn’t. The order was delivered and it was absolutely and positively what we ordered!!! — except NOT. AT. ALL. I know, I know… a four piece eel roll is oh! so! easily confused with five (seriously?) rolls of spicy tuna? RIGHT??? Who could blame the ‘professional establishment’ SPECIALIZING in sushi for botching Sushi Basics 101?
Simple mistake. We called Shiso and kindly informed them that there must have been a mistake because we were given over 9 rolls of raw fish that we didn’t order and not given the 12 that we did. Easily resolved. Easily remedied. Unless – of course you’ve just ordered from Shiso Sushi.
Their response? «We don’t make mistakes. You ordered the wrong thing.» Wow – really? «But we told you the number that was allocated to the menu option on the menu designed, printed and eventually slipped through my mail slot at MY home.» —«Well, we change the number system all the time.»
Look Yannick — you’re business acumen is paltry at best and yet your organization skills make THAT look impressive.
—So let me get this straight — you give me a menu that you have now arbitrarily decided doesn’t apply… and that’s MY fault?
And HERE’S the clencher – at first – I wasn’t asking for my money back – just a simple exchange for the untouched, still packaged WRONG order.
Mr. Bouvier INSTEAD decided to cuss me out, and spew out a stream of colorful, derogatory statements in relation to my gender and my nationality. «Hey, Yannick! Primary school just called — it wants its temper tantrums back.»
Mr. Bouvier THEN informed me that he was too busy to deal with me because he had many customers he needed to tend to. I should come in person. (there were two people sitting in the empty dining room) So I did.
On the way there — while crossing the CROSS WALK during the ‘stage time’ of the little green man simulating a walk — a psychotic motorcyclist runs a red light and comes within 2 inches of running me off of the road .and this world. As I turn around to glance at the registration — what do I see??? But a delivery box touting the title «SHISO SUSHI». Wow. I mean… I just… wow.
So I got there and Mr. Bouvier was standing ready, already there spewing poetry – possibly a haiku of some sort — each line starting and/​or ending with the F word.
So — 40 something wasted pounds, 1 near death experience and 1 police report later — I’ve decided to get on this website and save you all time, energy, dignity and stomach lining.
Want sushi? Go to Yo! Where they’re actually sushi-​aware, kind, hygienically astute and japanese.
Out of 5 stars – I give Shiso Sushi a rotting goose egg.
Shiso Sushi – issa no so good!

Have you read the Inferno? Remember how Dante passed through the shore of the River Styx while the tortured souls incessantly sprinted back and forth on the cold river bend, forever chased by the swarms of bees, unable to pass into the next life of dining bliss? Okay so maybe that’s not exactley what happened, in Dane’s Inferno that is.
But I would liken this scene to our experience with the new modern Shisho sushi restaurant at Turnpike Lane. Shiso delivered us the wrong order. When we called about this issue the hostess and manager refused to right this wrong, claiming we must have told her the wrong thing. Apparently she had never heard of meeting of the minds.
We attempted to physically return the sushi to the store. The establishment looked like a modern nightmare, with faux African medicine man masks on the wall and a foosball table where a hostess stand should have been. We fearlessly approached the sushi bar, our unwanted bounty in hand. The owner, a vengeful French man who spoke with angry and forceful gesticulations, began his discourse by stating he did not need this because «I get up and take care of the fish every morning…». Right, you’re a sushi restaurant, not the New England Aquarium, Monsieur Mieteron.
Whatever happened to «the customer is always right»?
After this the owner said he had no time for us because he was very busy with other customers. We glanced around at the empty restaurant which had four people on staff and two customers seated on the premises. My roommate replied «but we are customers». To this the agressively obstinant owner replied «No! You were customers!». When we then asked for a simple monetary exchange (hey, no lawful contract) he handed us his card and said we could take it up with his solicitor. Should we have thrown in that we were all barristers then perhaps he would have given us his solicitor’s number, rather than his.own. But at least now we can write this Unilocal review.
I would endorse Shiso if you are masochistic and believe that pride is a dangerous commodity which one must go to extreme lengths to have beaten out of them finally to attain true humility. If not, go elsewhere.