Koyama

More a 3.5 star rating if half stars were possible! Took a chance on this place as haven’t tried it before. There was a lot of non-​fish sushi options on the menu and although we primarily go for fish, we like trying new rolls! However, many had prawn so my options were limited with my shellfish allergy. We ordered salmon sashimi (5 pieces), a kimchi beef roll, a salmon hokkaido roll, a softshell crab roll, and green tea ice cream and green tea mochi ice cream. The rolls were very chunky which my husband like but I thought was too much rice, therefore very filling. I was disappointed by the salmon hokkaido roll as it was the salmon nor the mayo sauce were spicy as promised, plus the salmon was seared which I didnt expect, making the fish more cooked than I prefer. I think this sushi was on the pricier side ranging from £10−14 per roll so the final bill was around £55.

I was so sure I had read that Koyama had closed down, I was really pleased to find out, when we turned up on Saturday, that that wasn’t the case at all. It’s changed too, since my last few visits, and worthy of an update. Still, some of it rings true — the special rolls are huge, and the miso soup is still some of the best I have had here, but it looks like the restaurant has stepped it’s game up in it’s presentation.
Fresh on the table (for 8) were wasabi peas, crackers and still-​warm fried vegetable (sushi) rolls, and miso soup delivered when we were still trying to pick. Not sure if what you get will depend on the size of table — sometimes a group helps!
Sushi was beautifully presented, much more ornate than I remembered from previous trips. I had the Salmon Hokkaido roll, a spicy salmon roll which was full of flavour. Tiger and Cod was a bit more disappointing, a panko coated cod roll topped with mango sounded like it should be insanely tasty, but the mango was flavourless as was the cod, so a little more disappointing. Miso aubergine was a little soggy but enjoyable and overall, a good meal. Will I continue to visit? Yes, most definitely.

An amazing Asian restaurant — I’ve been here quite a few times with family and friends, and I’ve always been satisfied. The service is friendly and helpful, they were very accommodating for my friend with a gluten intolerance. I don’t believe it is purely Japanese cuisine, as I think my mother ordered something she was told was Korean. I’m a particular fan of the bento box — it’s kind of a «build your own» deal, choosing the meat/​tofu and the sauce, and any extras. I also love the vegetable tempura, very light delicious batter, and the plum wine. Plenty of vegetarian options too! Lovely décor, cosy lighting.

nice taste, cost-​effective.
the soy sauce is very good.
I will bring my friends there next time.

Longest and tastiest Dragon roll I’ve ever had. Basic interior but comfy and relaxed.
Service was quite slow — especially odd as it wasn’t busy.
Really fresh salmon for the nigiri –good value. Only took 1 star away because the rice for the nigiri and maki fell apart as we tried to pick it up.
A big surprise was the Pumpkin Croquette — it was virtually identical to my favourite itm from Yo — the pumpkin Korroke! Maybe they both buy them from the same supplier — if so, can I have the address please so I can stock my freezer?

My experience here last night pretty much mirrors that of the reviewer from August 2011. As a local I’d really rather not pay more during one month of the year just so tourists can have extra cash rung out of them but as Koyama deploy their Festival menu during August that is what happens (don’t expect any soup other than miso however as the overheads on that don’t justify a price increase /​it’s too hard to make in August you decide).
Food-​wise certainly no complaints but the staff all succumbed to blindness when it came to having us pay the bill, despite having brought it down to us. We weren’t the only table to experience this so I’d hazard a guess that it occurs regularly. A disappointment overall that overshadows the good work being done in the kitchen.

The place is quite basic but very tasty sushi and friendly staff!

I am a bit of a sushi snob… so looking at the previous reviews, I am pretty glad that I didn’t try the nigiri sushi here. I wouldn’t say this is the most authentic Japanese food, but it was all really yummy, so who cares? (^^) We came in a huuuge group — I think there were 25 of us — so the staff made us a tasty set menu that was incredibly filling. The chicken was covered in some kind of gooey sauce which didn’t taste Japanese… but was really moorish. The karaage, miso and maki roles were all good (although it was strange to have spicy sauce served with sushi!!)
We were with some staff from the Embassy of Japan, and the Japan Local Government Centre in London. They were so happy to have Japanese food in Edinburgh, that they all left smiling and happy! Lastly there is a karaōke room downstairs. They don’t have a large selection of songs, but they let us plug in a sing-​star… and allowed us to sing until we all lost our voices. Yay!
I would give this place 3 stars for the food… but the staff were really sweet and accommodating… so they get an extra star.
Ooooh! I just thought of a strange thing! Next to the ladies loo is a staircase that leads to nowhere! wtf? I came out of the loo and started walking up these trick stairs… only to hit my head on the celling! Beware tipsy folks!

Meh. That really does describe this place very well: meh. Unfortunately, the food just simply isn’t very note-​worthy. This place is in a student-​packed area and caters to them, almost exclusively one would think.
It’s a shame that the owner doesn’t take any real pride in his restaurant as this really could be a top establishment. The service is very, very friendly as Jenny L. noted, and with the roomy front-​of-​house there really is not excuse not to put out great food.
But alas, they don’t. It’s like that date in the car where you’re expecting to get lucky and all you get is second base, and second base turns out to be really not that exciting because — well, do I need to take this any further? It’s just down-​right disappointing and it shouldn’t have to be!
Damnit owner, step up your game, I’m rooting for you here.

It’s not that it’s awful, per se. But now I’ve had more sushi elsewhere I could quite critically look at my platter of tuna and salmon sushi and think «hmm I have definitely experienced better». And so according to the Unilocal star rating, two stars it is.
It’s just a kind of imitation of sushi. I think the hot dishes like teriyaki are nice, and people won’t be disappointed if they eat that here or leave hungry. But for sushi fiends like myself, the slightly dull looking sashimi, and messily cut slices of fish atop my nigiri, and very thick rolls of seaweed around a maki that had no taste, and the far-​too-​largely-​grated pieces of carrot on the side, it was all quite sub-​par.
The service is friendly, very friendly, and it does always pain me to give lower ratings to places that evidently mean well. I did eat it all, it was edible, but considering it was £10 for my platter of ‘sushi’ and it really wasn’t even as good as the Pret a Manger or Marks and Spencers pre-​packaged ones, I won’t be coming back any time soon I’m afraid.
For non-​fussy non-​Sushi eaters, the hot dishes would be a-​ok but there are far better sushi places in town to drop another crispy tenner note here.

Very good sushi. One of Edinburgh’s finest. We summed it up: «we really like this place. We will go back. It is right near the university, but not overrun by students. The menu is eclectic and everything we tried was well made and tasty. The simply décor and the atmospheric music playing at a low enough level not to harass, was an added bonus. And at the end, they gave us mints and opened the door for us.»

All in all a decent experience.
I ordered the Salmon Teriyaki, along with the salmon maki sushi. Friend ordered the Salmon and Avocado dome (we went with a theme… no points for guessing what).
it was good, not great, but good. The only turn off was the price, which in my experience was average for Japanese (which almost always is more expensive than it should be)

I went to Koyama today and ordered hot tea, mackerel nigiri, crab egg nigiri, spicy salmon and a vegetable roll. Before discount this was 19 GBP.
While not unbearable, it was certainly unimpressive. The nigiri absolutely was small, and dry. The rolls were of decent size but rather clumsily made, and did not stand out. The best was the vegetable roll. Oh, and they are stingy with the ginger.
And yes, everything was rather pricey; this was mitigated by the fact that they offer a 10% discount to students (but you have to pay in cash).
So far, the best sushi I’ve had has been No. 1 Sushi Bar in Tollcross.

We bobbed in to grab a pre-​show bite during the Edinburgh festival. The restaurant was buzzing and the menu looked good so we sat down for some noodles and sushi. Looking back I imagine this place is no way near as busy when the Fringe isn’t on.
The service was a little awkward and quite slow. I ordered mixed tempura and teppanyaki ramen which took a while to arrive and were tasty, but not overwhelming. Koyama is a nice place with a warm atmosphere and a good selection of sushi, noodle dishes, curries and drinks but a lax delivery in taste and service which makes it a pretty run of the mill place for a meal.

After a late start to the day, and a fabulous croissant from Valvona and Crolla with a generous dollop of Claire Leslie’s strazzberry jam for brunch, I’m ready for lunch.
By the time I made my way across the Meadows, there was a growl in my belly. I’ve had Japanese food 3 times in the past week; first dinner at Yes Sushi on Hanover Street on Friday, then Number One Sushi on Home street on Sunday evening, and finally Izzi on Lothian road for lunch yesterday.
Today I thought I’d try Koyama on Forrest road. I’ve been past it on my way into town many times, but have always been in too much of a rush to go in.
My first impression on entering was this place is much larger, with a set up similar to sushi restaurants in Canada and the US. Some booths as well as small tables, red paper lanterns, and Hokusai prints on the walls.
Although I’d consider myself adventurous in what I eat, I must admit I have my ‘usuals’ when I eat Japanese. Unagi (eel) nigiri and hand roll, sea bass sashimi and some sort of noodle soup.
The problem was, today the menu outside was very different to the menu I was presented with. Quite a few things had disappeared, including the hearty noodle soups and the unagi hand roll. In fact, the only mention of eel was in a maki roll and in an unagi don style rice dish. I was told this was the ‘Festival menu’, and no, the chef could not make any of the missing items from the regular menu. Not a good start, as that just had me thinking the sushi was not freshly made.
I ordered sea bass and salmon sashimi, and decided to try the eel maki. For my main dish I had the mixed seafood yaki udon.
The salmon sashimi was sliced a bit thick for my taste, less delicate pieces of fish and more generous mouthfuls. The sea bass sashimi was fine, topped with firm roe and sliced thinly.
The eel maki had a bit too much rice and not enough eel, though there was a nice crunch of cucumber. Disappointingly, there was barely any eel to speak of.
My udon came with panko-​fried prawns and pieces of various other seafood, which tasted suspiciously like scampi! The prawns had a nice crisp crust though, which was the high point of the dish. The noodles were slightly overcooked and limp, and the sauce lacked robust flavour.
To top things off, I was then informed by the waitress that despite the sign advertising a 10% student discount, this only applied if I paid in cash! I spoke to the manager and she allowed me the discount, but I think it’s a little misleading as there was no mention of cash payments only on the sign in their window!
I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt here as it is Festival season, and normal rules don’t apply, evidently. It was a disappointing experience and a mediocre meal, but I may go back and try their wares when it’s back to the normal menu.

Saving grace is the food. Everything else was shocking. Small portions, slow service and expensive. I won’t be going back.