Shiro - Faux Japanese Restaurant

Having spent aeons of time in Asia, you'd think I'd tire of Oriental food by now.

Passing by the newly refurbished restaurant, Shiro, (formerly known as Niko Niko) just off Tottenham Court Road; I was summoned inside by the simple and minimalist decor AND my craving for anything teriyaki. It was empty at the time S. and I strolled in. 

...Boy was there a reason why it was empty the entire evening.

Chicken Teriyaki Bento
Chicken Katsu Bento

The low down? --- Both bento boxes were £9.50
Chicken Teriyaki Bento:
Let's dissect the box shall we?

First up is the salad, this 'salad' consisted of shavings of cabbage, a lonely leaf of lettuce, with 2 pieces of overly soaked seaweed tossed to the side and topped with an overpowering ginger sauce; think sour ginger. It was so overpoweringly salty that is that it caused the vegetables beneath to shrivel.  Next up, the section I savour the most, the chicken.

Unfortunately the teriyaki sauce was watery, not like the thick and sticky texture I've come accustomed to and the portion was very small. 

Then the Vegetable tempura, this was by far the most enjoyable part of the meal. Crispy exterior which revealed a soft and chewy center with each bite. I was supposed to receive the miso soup accompaniment but that never came.

Chicken Katsu Bento:

It was burnt, so burnt that the chicken had become a shadow of it's former self, and sat squelched at the bottom of the box hidden under lashings of a very salty HP-esque sauce that made my tongue itch.

Again, the miso soup accompaniment was lost in transition to the table. Service?Being the only 2 individuals in this restaurant, it did dawn on me that I could get impeccable service. 4 waitresses and 2 guests. The maths speaks for itself really. 3 words.

Inattentive. Lazy. Rude.

On top of that I wasn't given utensils to eat with. Failing to grab the attention of one of the 4 waitresses, I was forced to lean across and retrieve some from the table next to me. 
And you know a Japanese restaurant is really stepping over the line when they charge for the use of soya sauce. 

That is just blasphemy.Furthermore, I was told off by the management for taking any images. Hence why the image of the Chicken Katsu is upside down. But I snuck in a cheeky few.Personally, I would not return to this restaurant, given that the standard of the food was unauthentic, unworthy, and the service was just down right terrible.It would be advisable for the management to take more pride in actually serving their guests, rather than treating them like unwanted guests in their home.

Feeling unwanted, neglected, and hungry I parted ways with Shiro.

To run down the road to the nearest KFC.

No, I wish I was lying but I really did do this.

Yummei marks? 1/10 (for the interior)

Where?

Shiro

19 Percy Street,
Fitzrovia,

London
W1T 1DX