Bonsai
Japanese and Sushi Restaurant
from 5 reviews (add your opinion)
46 West Richmond Street
Edinburgh
EH8 9DZ
Phone: 0131 668 3847
Want to book? Try online booking!
Price: £££
Licensed: Yes
BYOB: Yes (£5 corkage)
Pre-Theatre: No
Takeaway: No
Opening Hours:
Mon-Sat: 1200-2230
Sun: 1700-2200
Menus:
Tags: bonsai restaurant licensed byob japanese sushi eveve bookonline loyaltyoffer
Details last confirmed by andy 5 months ago
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EdinburghMenus.com featured review:
Friendly service in a quiet Japanese restaurant off the beaten track
A bit off the beaten track up the hill from the Pleasance, we weren't surprised that this little Japanese restaurant was quiet at 8pm on the Wednesday night we visited. But we were surprised by how quiet it was. We were the only people in the restaurant until we left at about 9.15pm when a small group of people arrived. But what we missed out on in atmosphere we gained in service from the friendly waiter who helped us choose what and how much to order.
We had an assortment of their dishes, none of which disappointed. We did, of course enjoy some more than others. The mixed tempura was good, with the prawns definitely the highlight. The tuna maki-zushi roll was a personal favourite and stood out as being good value at £3.25. The takoyaki (octopus dumplings) were the most disappointing dish and at £4.95, didn't seem to represent as good value as some of the other offerings.
Somewhat bizarrely, the highlight of the meal was Kate's dessert - banana tempura. Ridiculously tasty and would itself make a return visit worthwhile!
With a couple of bottles of Japanese lager, the bill just passed the £40 mark. Good value, and with the knowledge of the menu I gained from this visit, I'm confident I could return and have an even more enjoyable meal for less money.
With its location, Bonsai will undoubtedly be a popular place during the festival - an ideal spot for people to grab some food between shows at the Pleasance Courtyard, for example.
5 user reviews:
from jwjlewis (75%) on July 17th, 2007 (1 year ago)
Bonsai, 46 West Richmond Street, EH8 9DZ, Edinburgh
I don't really know if the food is good compared to other Japanese restaurants as I haven't been to too many, but it definitely tasty food in general. The best thing about this restaurant though is the toilet! Or rather, the sink - it is a wok and the water comes out of the tap when you lift up the handle of the wok (which is cunningly hinged)
(+1) (+1) (+1)
from Ishkhara (48%) on June 19th, 2008 (6 months ago)
Bonsai, 46 West Richmond Street, EH8 9DZ, Edinburgh
Bonsai is one of my favourite restaurants in the city and I eat there on average once a month. The layout itself is compact but pleasant and the food is traditionally Japanese with a twist. The staff are very friendly and are more than willing to explain exactly what's in a particular dish on the menu or recommend another dish which you might enjoy. The menu itself is extensive and has a mix-and-match tapas feel to it with lots of small, tasty offerings. The ika geso (melt in your mouth battered squid with lemon and sea salt) and agenazu (fanned aubergine with a hot chilli miso dressing) in particular are worthy of a mention. The sashimi is fresh, the sushi is firm and the rice is cooked to perfection. I don't think I've ever had a bad meal here in the three years I've been going and the place is always spotless.
The only reason I have marked it down slightly is that I have noticed a difference in the speed of the service lately. The last time I was there with a larger party it took almost three hours for the meal to be served and dishes were forgotten. But that's one bad experience in over 40 outings!
(+2) (0) (0)
from clockworksatan (29%) on December 15th, 2008 (3 weeks ago)
Bonsai, 46 West Richmond Street, EH8 9DZ, Edinburgh
Having been a complete virgin to Japanese food, the first time I visited Bonsai I felt rather uncertain about what to expect. I was, to say the least, pleasantly surprised and am now a complete die-hard sushi fan thanks to Bonsai.
For you newbies to Japanese food out there, my best advice is to go in there (or any half decent Japanese restaurant) with an open mind. Don't expect it to be anything like Chinese food as I did as it is a completely different kettle of, er, 'fish'... If you take that rather poor pun literally and you love fresh seafood, you're in the right place if you go to Bonsai. Of course, as well as offering the mainstays of any carnivorous diet (chicken, pork and beef), Bonsai also caters to those pesky herbivores (vegetarians) and aliens (vegans) so it would suit pretty much anyone.
Much like a tapas restaurant, Bonsai offers a variety of small dishes which are price roughly around a fiver each so you can mix and match 'em to your heart's content. There's a nice selection of maki, sashimi, nagiri-zushi, teppanyaki and teriyaki dishes as well as soups, tempuras and salads. If these words mean nothing to you don't worry as the staff are really helpful and friendly and are usually more than happy to describe what they are. Oh, and always keep an eye on the specials board - the roast eel tempura is to die for! They also have a tantalising drinks menu - Sake is obviously featured heavily and I would definitely recommend going for a large bottle of hot sake to make the whole experience that bit more happy. ;o)
As for the negatives, Bonsai's service can occasionally be a bit on the slow side and if you arrive in droves the staff can sometimes mess orders up, but that's about it. Everything else is pretty much spot-on. Expect to pay about £50 for two people, possibly more if it's a boozy night. Having visited three of Edinburgh's Japanese restaurants now, Bonsai rates highly against its competition. Add to that its off-the-beaten-path location and comprehensive menu and it's definitely a winner.
Recommended.
(+1) (+2) (+2)
from sl992l (14%) on February 12th, 2008 (10 months ago)
Bonsai, 46 West Richmond Street, EH8 9DZ, Edinburgh
Bonsai use to be my favourite restaurant in Edinburgh. It's a tiny little place but it can have a great atmosphere and the food has always been really good too. My only problem is that the service seems to have gone down hill. I've been 3 times in the last year and each time I really noticed a change for the worse. Last time we were there my girlfriend and I sat at a table for more than 10 minutes without even being asked if we wanted anything to drink. I'd have understood if they were busy but 1 waiter seemed to be rushing doing everything while 2 others sat nattering. We just got up and left and I don't plan on going back. It was the first time I'd ever done that but it felt good to vote with my feet!
(0) (+1) (+1)
from christinepklee (6%) on November 27th, 2008 (1 month ago)
Bonsai, 46 West Richmond Street, EH8 9DZ, Edinburgh
The food here is disgusting waste of money! There are better Japanese restaurants than this place, like Sushiya and No.1 Sushi Bar!
(-3) (-3) (0)
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