Sushi of Sydenham

[Kaizensushi]

Hi everyone,

I'm looking into relocating to Sydenham with my wife and want to start an independent business creating and selling quality and authentic Japanese food at reasonable prices.

I have been trained to use traditional methods combined with today's contemporary tastes to create a menu that fits into both local and more adventurous palates alike.

With this in mind, do you think there is a genuine demand for sushi and other Japanese hot and cold dishes in Sydenham? Do you feel a takeaway or restaurant would work better here? Any comments are welcome.

Thanks,

Kai

[Bazman76]

Personally I love Japanese food it's easily my favourite cusine, so if you are going to open a restraunt on my door step serving Japanese food at reasonalbe prices I will be VERY HAPPY indeed.

As I am sure you know there is a Japanese restraunt in Crystal Palace which is good (not great or even very good), certainly if you want to order a take away you are left waiting for about 2 hours, so I take it they are pretty successful.

If you are going to open are you going to do it in an authemtic Tokyo style bar, with the wooden interiors where the serve chicken in skewers starting with the skin and finishing with the internal organs!! Love that!!!!!(Although I freely demand for such offal in the UK may be limited).

If nothing else please make sure you do good miso soup very few places in London seem able to do this even the top end Japanese restraunts.

Really hope this happens!!!!

[chrism]

I would LOVE for there to be a sushi restaurant in Sydenham! I moved here with my husband almost exactly a year ago and the high street is crying out for more dining options, particularly ones where you can sit down and enjoy a meal. At the moment we often end up going to Crystal Palace and East Dulwich to have a civilised meal.

Sydenham has a vibrant mix of people so I don't doubt that you would have a good customer base. Just take a look at the people who get off the train and Sydenham or Penge East station - a good variety. There are also a lot of families around here and believe it or not, many children love sushi.

How about a restaurant with a take away option? We already have far too many take away only places here in my opinion - a lot of them serve the same thing.

If you have any friends who want to open a Thai restaurant as well that too would be very welcome! You'll see from this forum that there's a lot of desire to improve the high street, a lot of energy is being put into it. We'd welcome any new businesses that contribute to that.

[Rachael]

Yes please, definitely.

I think a restaurant with a take away option would be great, but if you could only do one, I'd ask for takeaway. I used to get delivery from Crystal Palace but they don't deliver to me anymore (according to Hungry House).

[Nature Boy]

I'm a sushi lover so the comments I have should be read with that in mind. In dining terms we barely have the basics covered in Sydenham so I wonder if a Japanese is a little too niche for the area at this moment in time. It would also need to be keenly priced to be successful here (if the posts elsewhere on this forum are anything to go by). This would be challenging as in my book good cheap sushi is an oxymoron. If you do go ahead, I would definitely be a customer. It would also be good to see you hooking up with other businesses in the area eg billings the fishmonger. Best of luck!

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[Kaizensushi]

Thanks for your replies so far. In particular, I am impressed with your needs and wants for this area. I have great pride in my work and certainly believe the standard of cuisine can be pushed whilst still maintaining a realistic cost that suits the area.

Developments are still in their infancy but reading the positive notes has given me a welcome boost to make this business a success. Currently i'm assessing whether a restaurant is feasible in my budget at this time but certainly a sushi bar style with some seating is within reach.

We will keep you posted as it progresses. Your input is invaluable. Thank you all for your positivity.

Kai

[benchef]

OMG! I will re-mortgage the house and spend all my money with you! EXCITING!

[Bazman76]

Very happy to hear it Kaizen, and will look forward to hearing your plans.

In the mean time if you need any taste testers just give me a call

[Mazzer]

Ooh, that is an exciting prospect, everyone in my household loves Japanese food so you'd definitely have our support!

All the best

Marie

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[benchef]

Very happy to hear it Kaizen, and will look forward to hearing your plans.

In the mean time if you need any taste testers just give me a call

Ditto!

[Ronski]

+1 for opening in Sydenham!

we've ordered from the one in Crystal Palace a few times 40/60mins is a more average waiting time. Quality isnt too bad but not on par with what Soho has to offer. We would certainly want to eat authentic in Sushi in Sydenham!

Something that is good value and quality I think would go down best in Sydenham for the widest appeal. Lots of katsu curries, yakatori and Salmon-don as well as Sushi, there's a place called Taro that does that quite well. You could build that up without too much cost, if you only served 20 kinds of sashimi it might not have enough turnover to keep going.

Having some sushi making classes might be a nice way to entice people in.

Good luck, would be great to see it.

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[leenewham]

Yes yes yes yes yes!

Please do it.

I'm sure Cllr Best and the Sydenham Society would lend their support (I expect they have already contacted you).

I'd make it a sit down business but also a takeaway. There are a number of empty shops, it's high footfall and lots of cars drive past. Opening something that looks and feels special near other restaurants would be a good move. It's a shame that some less exciting businesses have taken over some units that would have been perfect for such an enterprise. I've sent you a PM.

If you open a shop here we would love to offer to design your signage as we did for Billings. As with them, if you open in Sydenham, we would do it pro bono.

My wife loves sushi, to get it we have been to other areas. Please put tempura Ice cream on the menu if you are though, hardly anyone does it in London.

So +2 here.

[maestro]

Remember it's not just Sydenhamites who would provide your custom, if you do offer something different and special I'm sure you'd be surprised at how far people would be prepared to travel. Diners used to come from many miles around to eat at The Lokal for example. I hope you decide to open here and best of luck if you do.

[Labanised]

Hi there,
being totally unbiased (cough), I think Upper Sydenham is crying out for Sushi

[leenewham]

The best place would be next to other restaurants. It's always best to group similar businesses together, shopping malls do it, supermarkets group products together, they do it for a reason!.

Either near Trattoria and the Dolphin (which will take advantage of the footfall from the arts festival plays and music at the Dolphin and Golden Lion) or near That's Amore in Kirkdale although outside seating would be good.

[Stefan]

another good place to look at is near the new pools, there are lots of empty shops at the moment and you right in the middle between sysdenham and forest hill

[G-Man]

Sounds fantastic! I think your idea of having a variety of food is essential and sounds like you know what you're doing, Bento boxes would have to feature! I love the concept of a variety of things being served together.

Really hope you find somewhere that suits and that things go well. I think the key is making the place look inviting, a decent shop front and simple clean decor make all the difference.

Can't wait for any updates.

G-Man

PS: It's fantastic to see you using this forum as a form of market research, I wish more businesses did.

[Labanised]

Hi there,

It's always best to group similar businesses together, shopping malls do it, supermarkets group products together, they do it for a reason!.

I'd agree with that to a point although, my experience in my past life as a Buyer tells me that there's also much to to be said for blazing a new trail, especially if the product is exciting.
That's Amore's part of Kirkdale Village (Upper Syd for residents) and perhaps along Dartmouth Road would draw people in who've just had a refreshing swim (when the new pools open).
As noted, there are a few empty units around this neck of the woods and being smack bang between Forest Hill and Sydenham can't be that bad.
Sylvan Post have just opened further along and seem to have a nice vibe about them already.

The Dolphin's area of SE26 could equally be viable, however I've only been to the Dolphin once and a main reason for not going back is just that it is too awkward to get to from my neck of the woods.

Either way, bring on the Sushi and keep us all posted, please?

[JulietP]

Ooooo, how exciting! Would love proper Japanese food in Sydenham! Personally, I would prefer somewhere to sit down and eat, but maybe combine both by having a counter for take out and a few tables and chairs for people who want to eat in?

[dmhawk]

YES! When my husband and I moved to SE26 from Crystal Palace we checked that Edo sushi would still deliver to us. We love sushi. I also happen to think that Edo is better than most central london establishments and thus well worth the wait. That being said, I'd definitely welcome a restaurant that's closer to us. Sometimes I get tired of all the takeaway options and would be nice to go sit down and eat.

A side note, we love Korean food and cannot find ANY Korean restaurants in SE London.