City Miyama, Godliman Street (off Knight Rider Court)

We had walked past this Japanese restaurant several times while strolling down Knight Rider Court (the name still raises a smile) just off the North end of the Wobbly Millenium Bridge. It looks OK, but slightly intimidating, so we thought we'd try it first by going in on the weekend for their Saturday as-much-sushi-as-you-want deal.

We arrive outside, check that the offer still applies. It says that there are two sittings and we are 15 minutes early for the second, so we go around the block a couple of times.

When at least we enter, the waitress leads us downstairs to what is apparently the main dinig area. It is all beige except for some quite nice abstract geometrical drawings. The furniture is orthodox late-70s, which wouldn't look out of place at Jackie Treehorn's pad. We explain what we're after and she wanders off. Another waitress arrives with menus and, with some difficulty we order a diet coke and some lemonade.

After a while looking around, another waitress arrives. We explain what we would like, then again, then once more veery slooowwly. Blank incomprehension. Eventually she strolls off and after some time a fourth waitress arrives. Phew. Maybe this one will speak English. But no. While slightly better it still takes us a full five minutes to get across our demand* before we are told that we would have to be upstairs at the sushi bar and we have missed the second sitting.

We pay for our drinks, and leave for Sushi Hiroba, which isn't open on Saturday lunchtime. Eventually we stumble into Moti Mahal.

Will I try again? Probably, but it will take a while to get over this rotten experience.

* The trick, in case any reader would like to try the get food at City Miyama challenge, is to stick exactly with the wording on the sign outside, which is "as-much-as-you-like". Thinking about it, "all-you-can-eat" isn't really a very nice phrase anyway.