Koi is a new and trending Japanese restaurant situated in Victoria Island, Lagos.

I enjoyed visiting the space on the 5th of December with my usual suspects; my brother, Luki and his wife, Dee. This time around, my brother’s friend, Seun, also joined the party. Before our visit, social media was already buzzing with news of the new restaurant on the block. From the smoky cocktails to the overpriced steak, foreign setup, and big space amongst others. Dee did the honors of booking us a table a day before because the space filled out fast, and they were not accepting walk-ins at the time.

AMBIENCE
From the moment we stepped into the premises, one could tell they paid a lot of attention and effort to ensure the space met international standards. Koi has two sitting areas; outdoor and indoor. Unfortunately, I was unable to take good pictures of these. As we walked into the compound, we could see the people dining inside through the glass walls. We were shown to our table and we took our seats. I took a quick sweep of the room and I liked what I saw. A few seconds later, a waiter brought our menus and it was time to see what all the fuss is about.

MENU
I’d like to start by saying that I’m not a big fan of Japanese cuisine because of their meals’ underlying sweet taste. However, I came prepared to give everything a fair chance. The food menu is categorized into fourteen sections but I was a bit disappointed that we had only five main dish options. The drink menu has a decent amount of cocktails listed, and I couldn’t wait to try one or two.

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WHAT WE DRANK & ATE
We ordered some cocktails to kick things off. The boys ordered Moscow Mule, while Dee decided to try Long Story Short, and I chose Trouble Lady. A few minutes later, our drinks came, and it was time to place our food orders. We all decided to order a starter each then our main meals. Luki was in his natural element, and he placed his order first while Dee and I took some time deliberating on what to have.
Here’s how we ordered:
Starters: Spicy Hot; Shrimp Dynamite; Spicy Salmon; Spicy Scallop; Shrimp Dumpling
Mains: Black Cod (2); Salmon Misoyaki (2); Yasai Itamae (2); Japanese Fried Rice (3)

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We liked all the starters except the scallop. They all tasted exciting and intriguing I must say. As you can see from the images above, it was a mix of fish and shrimp. It was fun eating with chopsticks as I hadn’t done that in a long time.

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The food seemed like a lot, but we soon discovered that the portions were just right when we started eating. There were no complaints around the table but we all agreed that we enjoyed the starters more than our main meals.

SERVICE & CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE
Though it was a busy night with most tables occupied, our waiter was always handy and ready to attend to us. His Supervisor was also close by and checked to ensure we had everything we needed more than once. The only thing that irked me was that my starter, Shrimp Dumpling, took forever to be ready. I had to ask for it several times and It came after my main meal! If we hadn’t decided to share all the starters, I wouldn’t have eaten while everyone else chewed away. Also, the waiter had to come back to reconfirm my second drink order when I reminded him about it. Nonetheless, we all agreed that it was a nice experience overall.

DAMAGE
Spicy Hot ~ 4,500
Spicy Salmon ~5,000
Spicy Scallop ~ 5,000
1 Large Water ~ 4,000
Trouble Lady ~ 6,000
Fried Rice x3 ~ 12,000
Black Cod x2 ~ 50,000
Yasai Itame x2 ~ 10,000
Long Story Short ~ 6,500
Shrimp Dumpling ~ 4,500
Shrimp Dynamite ~ 5,500
Moscow Mule x4 ~ 18,000
Clockwork Orange ~ 6,000
Salmon Misoyaki x2 ~ 40,000
Our total bill was N199,125.00, which was inclusive of VAT and consumption tax.

Koi Restaurant & Lounge is a perfect place for date night if your pocket is heavy. It’s also a good spot for business and client meetings if the menu above is within your budget. I especially loved the vibe and feel of the space, and its ability to take you away from the hustle and bustle of Lagos. I believe it is a restaurant that will stand the test of time.

P.S. this is not a sponsored post. All opinions expressed were not influenced.

Do you love Japanese cuisine?

Mariam Shittu