Kyoto Garden Sushi

I tried this place over the weekend and was very impressed. Right from the start I felt like I was stepping into a sushi spot in New York. The menu and décor was top notch and the sushi was incredibly fresh and tasty. This is by far the best sushi in Cape Town. I wonder how they get it so fresh, it is much different than the competition's. It is on the pricey side, but it is well worth it. There are also touches of authentic Japan which I appreciated, like having single malt Japanese whisky on the menu. If you're looking for the best sushi in Cape Town this is the place. Kyoto Garden holds its own with any sushi spot I have tried in London or New York.

With most GOOD restaurant you can guarantee their kitchens are closed by 10pm. Kyoto, because the owner comes from LA guarantees service will be open till 11pm. What a relief!

The best sushi in Cape Town at Kyoto Garden Sushi. I am a frequent globe trotter with some certainty that I’ve been in some very good sushi joints worldwide enough to say I have a fair standard of sushi-judging. I have visited Beluga, Sevruga, Willoughby and Nobu which have been so-called rated as the best for quality of sushi. I was just scanning through my lonely planet tourist guide to find some thing to do, when I saw article on Kyoto Garden Sushi. Tucked away on Lower Kloofnek Road, very easy to find and the parking not too over crowded. Upon entering Kyoto Garden Sushi, I felt like I was transported to a Japanese restaurant in Tokyo. The place definitely had a lot of thought and taste put into it, Japanese style at its best. The zen-like atmosphere was so relaxing. The mini water feature next to the bathrooms only added to this. The menu confirmed the Japanese authenticity along with the Japanese sushi. While the menu doesn't have what you'd expect as the full range of Japanese dishes, I had never thought of having tempura oysters. We were handed a cocktail menu on being seated, the boyfriend had a drink mix of whiskey, lime and fresh ginger, and I had a drink called the Dirty Ninja - it was not the name that sold it but the mixing of cucumber with sake, I had to try it to see if it worked. The drinks were very well thought of and tasted great. After ordering, we were served snacks of edamame beans, baby clams, prawns, fried squid and jellyfish. The thing you have to love about Japanese people is that they’ll eat anything. You could never accuse them of unadventurous eating. It all felt very authentic. For starters, the boyfriend had Miso soup, and I tried The Sea - both were delicious. We moved onto the highlight of the evening: a chef’s choice sushi platter of sashimi, nigiri and california rolls. I can’t effuse enough praise on the sushi, it was 'unfaultable'. The fish was the freshest I've had in a long time, comparing it with sushi from London and New York. The rice was perfectly soft and flavoured and even the wasabi paste tasted better than at other sushi restaurants. I could have eaten piles more. The dessert was described to us by the polite waiter. We chose the green tea ice cream with a green tea crêpe, that topped off my evening. But seeing as the rest of the food was so top-notch, I decided I had to come back before we left to return to the UK. I felt that we had not even delved deep enough into how good the rest of the menu is, and I felt I would miss out on some very special food. Scott, the owner, told us that he only uses the freshest ingredients available and had also travelled extensively. It's this attention to freshness that is clearly evident in the dishes and makes Kyoto Garden Sushi stand out from its competitors. Kyoto Garden Sushi is a bit more pricey than your average sushi restaurant, but then it's definitely not your average sushi restaurant. It's more a special occasion kind of place. This is the place to go for fine sushi and fantastically cooked Japanese food - for sure. I have never been so impressed.