Harden's survey result
Summary
“Full of Eurotrashy tourists taking selfies” – if that’s not you, a visit to Richard Caring’s glitzy and “superficial” Mayfair seafood scene may be “an unhappy experience”. True, fans do claim it can be a “very buzzy and atmospheric” place to try “for the people-watching and sushi” (plus other luxurious fishy treats). But 70% of reporters feel it’s “overpriced”; and its “loud, echo-chamber” styling, “offhand service” and “food that – particularly given the cost – is terrible” can all grate. (“I’m surprised there isn’t a tanning booth in the loos so the clientele can top up in between courses…”; “I get forced to go there on business: why anyone would go of their own free will is a mystery”).
Summary
“So loud” in every aspect – Richard Caring’s prominently sited seafood scene is an orgy of ostentatious styling, luxe seafood and sushi, and a crowd that’s Mayfair’s answer to ‘Love Island’. The kind view is that it’s “fun and full of life” (“they made our daughter feel very special for her 15th birthday”). The majority view is that “service is sloppy and prices absolutely outrageous”.
Summary
“Like stepping into the sort of reality TV series where people apply tons of make-up and not so many clothes”, Richard Caring’s Mayfair seafood scene has an “amazing ambience”, although it can be “incredibly loud – perfect if you want to eat in a nightclub” (“my teenage daughters love it!”) On the downside, the luxurious sushi and seafood is “by numbers” and prices are “stratospheric” (“shocking really, are they having a laugh?”) In autumn 2021, the brand crossed the Atlantic with an opening in its true spiritual home – Miami – where the USP is the largest collection of Dom Perignon in the US.
Summary
“Let your friends know you’ve been, and they’ll ask about the clientele before wanting to know about the food…” – Richard Caring’s notorious, LA-style, bling-fest in Mayfair (which reportedly cost £15m to fit out) is most “definitely a place for those eager to see and be seen”. Fans also believe its luxurious menu of Asian-inspired fish and seafood (heavy on funky sushi, tempura, and gyoza) is plain “awesome” too. But to a large proportion of reporters, it’s “awful – just awful” – exacting “extortionate” prices to deliver “some weird-and-not-always-felicitous flavour combinations” to “a horrific stew of Mayfair types”.
For 33 years we've been curating reviews of the UK's most notable restaurant. In a typical year, diners submit over 50,000 reviews to create the most authoritative restaurant guide in the UK. Each year, the guide is re-written from scratch based on this survey (although for the 2021 edition, reviews are little changed from 2020 as no survey could run for that year).
Have you eaten at Sexy Fish?
1-4 Berkeley Square, London, W1J 6BR
Restaurant details
Prices
| Availability | 2 courses | 3 courses |  |
 |
 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lunch | £32.00 | £58.00 |  |
|
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| Brunch | £58.00 | |
|
|
| Cost | Availability | Courses | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Menu1 | 58.00 | 4 | |
| Menu2 | 96.00 | 5 |
Traditional European menu
| Starter | Main | Veggies | Pudding |
|---|---|---|---|
| £16.80 | £28.60 | £10.40 | £13.80 |
| Drinks |
|
|---|---|
| Wine per bottle | £45.00 |
| Filter Coffee | £5.00 |
| Extras |
|
|---|---|
| Bread | £6.00 |
| Service | 14.50% |
1-4 Berkeley Square, London, W1J 6BR
Opening hours
| Monday | 12 pm‑1 am |
| Tuesday | 12 pm‑1 am |
| Wednesday | 12 pm‑1 am |
| Thursday | 12 pm‑2 am |
| Friday | 12 pm‑2 am |
| Saturday | 12 pm‑2 am |
| Sunday | 12 pm‑1 am |
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