Kuikku menu at Sexy Fish review: an energising bargain lunch
Prepare to be slightly surprised at this Instagrammable spot in Mayfair
There is a particular type of person one might associate with Sexy Fish, the Asian restaurant and bar in London’s Berkeley Square. And, let’s be brutally honest, it’s not me. Hell, I’m so diametrically the opposite of the implied Sexy Fish customer I’d be afraid that, if I met one, we’d either cancel one another out like matter and antimatter, or cause the end of the known universe.
It was with a little trepidation then that I visited Sexy Fish. Given that Mayfair hasn’t imploded in “The Great Sushi Blackhole of 2023” should give some indication that my fears may have been slightly unjustified. Or, indeed, that I was turned away for not being thin and beautiful. Or kicked out for not posting a selfie within regulation time…
I am, perhaps, being unfair. While Sexy Fish undoubtedly encourages such behaviour with its Instagrammable interior, impressive address and funkily uniformed personnel:
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
- a) they are not really responsible for the behaviour of whatever miniscule percentage of customers are pouting, iPhone-wielding fashionistas;
- b) you get those people everywhere right now;
- c) the food is actually good;
- d) the new Kuikku lunch menu is a bit of a bargain.
I enter the place whispering to myself to “keep an open mind… keep an open mind” so, of course, I’m sat just below where two models are in the middle of a photoshoot. Before my eyes can roll entirely back in my head, however, the utterly charming and very efficient staff step in to show that, first and foremost, Sexy Fish is still a restaurant. Menus are efficiently explained, cocktails are ordered and then begins the long-ish process of tackling the Kuikku lunch.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, “Kuikku” translates as “quick”, aptly named as it promises a three course/six dish relatively healthy lunch, for £38, served in no longer than 45 minutes. You start with a detox shot – fruity, gingery, very warming, you know the drill – and finish with a choice of pudding, either the healthy fruit option or the less healthy (but much more delicious) chocolate caramel bar. In between, you get to choose four dishes, from a pool of around 25 or so, split across six categories: Poseidon (“protein power”); Skinny Dip (“lean”); Barrier Reed (“immunity boosters” ho ho see what they did there); Pleasure Island (“pure indulgence”); Naked Lunch (“vegan”); and Kiss of Life (“longevity”).
Between the two of us, we pick our way through the likes of chicken kara age (with tonkatsu mayo); crispy tofu, with chilli and lime; miso eggplant; kimchi fried rice; sea bass crudo with pepper and apple; steamed sea bass with coriander and chilli; caramelised beef with yuzu koshu (an £8 supplement); and salmon teriyaki. There’s a couple of disappointments – the beef was a little underpowered, the kara age a little lacking in crispiness – but, for the most part, it’s a very good, very well cooked, well sourced lunch. The broth on the steamed sea bass should replace the detox shot, frankly, while the tofu (look, I’m as surprised as you) and the kimchi rice – the ordering of which got a nod of approval from our server – will form the basis of any return I make. Which may yet happen.
Hell, when you can easily drop £20+ in neighbouring sandwich shops for mayo, bread, and a piece of cake, £38 for a properly energising lunch such as this seems like very decent value. Admittedly cocktails – at around £20 a pop – do make that slightly less economic but, for the curious and abstemious, prepare to be slightly surprised.
Neil Davey was a guest of Sexy Fish. The Kuikku lunch menu is served from Monday to Friday (12pm-4pm) and priced from £38 per person. Berkeley Square House, Berkeley Square, London W1J 6BR; sexyfish.com
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
'New arrivals are more than paying for themselves'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
6 stylish homes in Portland, Oregon
Feature Featuring a wall of windows in Collins View and a historic ballroom in Portland Heights
By The Week US Published
-
What's next for US interest rates?
The Explainer Stubborn inflation forestalls anticipated rate cuts
By Becca Stanek, The Week US Published
-
7 magnificent hotels to visit before the summer crowds descend
The Week Recommends Have beach time in the Dominican Republic or a spa day in Saint-Tropez
By Catherine Garcia, The Week US Published
-
Silversea cruise review: a Central and North American adventure
The Week Recommends An incredible journey featuring cultural exploration, cooking classes, comfort and more
By Yasemen Kaner-White Published
-
Death Cafes: where people talk mortality over tea and cake
Why everyone's talking about The meet-ups are intended to offer a judgement-free and respectful space to discuss the end of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Tuck in to British fusion cuisine
The Week Recommends The trend for combining classics from two food cultures can result in dishes that are doubly delicious
By The Week UK Published
-
Three Chimneys restaurant and The House Over-By review: Skye's sumptuous rural hideaway
The Week Recommends The award-winning restaurant with rooms is well worth battling the elements to reach
By Jamie Timson, The Week UK Published
-
9 restaurants primed for spring dining
The Week Recommends Winter be gone. Appetites are ready for the warmer months.
By Scott Hocker, The Week US Published
-
Good-value restaurants for fine food on a budget
The Week Recommends From an 'immensely likeable' French bistro to a family-run pub in Essex
By The Week UK Published
-
The lasting changes of the post-pandemic dining era
The Explainer The newest of new normals
By Scott Hocker, The Week US Published