Cocoon Restaurant, Soho, London

I went to Cocoon last night.

The service was excellent.
The food was very good, but not worth the price in my opinion; I've had better for less. I and a few of my friends each had the £50 set menu which consisted of a dim sum followed by 3 courses and included a cocktail. The Dim Sum was very good, and so were the starter and main courses, however the dessert left a lot to be desired. I opted for the moochies which were like little balls of ice cream coated in some rubbery substance. There were 3 of them; a chocolate one which tasted lovely, a sesame one which was kind of nasty and a green tea one that was just plain gross.
The cocktails were excellent, but the same comment about the value for money goes for the cocktails as well as the food. Had they not been included in the set menu they would have been pricey for what they were, even if they were good.

The restaurant has a lovely atmosphere, but the music can be a bit intrusive at times. The decor is neat and you leave the place feeling quite satisfied. It's definitiely worth a visit if you're into cocktails or asian fusion food.

I have eaten here twice now and have found Cocoon to be a perfect restaurant for going to either on a date or with some friends.

This time around I had arranged a surprise meal for my partner and the restaurant was very helpful in ensuring everything went smoothly and they gave us a really nice table that was perfect for an intimate meal with friends as well as very beautifully decorated.

We decided to order al a carte, although they did have some rather attractive looking set menu's as well.

All of our food was cooked nicely, arrived on time, nicely presented and there was a subtle flair as to how things were presented and served.

The cocktail list was varied and there was definitely something for everyone on that menu.

Now in terms of cost, Cocoon isn't cheap but if you want a beautiful restaurant that is set to impress then I suggest coming here. But I would definitely advise you to book in advance as it is popular.

this Cocoon is a leading Modern-Asian restaurant and cocktail lounge.

I've been there this week end with couple of friends and I must say, I had fun.

This place is really trendy and cosy. The waiters are professional and hospitable. They know how to handle perfectly their shakers, it's quite fun to look at them doing it.

Cocoon is a busy place, so if you're expecting to find a free table, you can still dream on. The best thing to do in order to make sure you can get a table is to book earlier.

you can have a dinner and then carry on grabbing a drink at the counter. you can order some starter by the time you drink your glass of wine, so what can be better?

based in the heart of london ( between leicester square and picaddily) it cannot be simpler to access there.

I've been to Cocoon (London) before but had a particularly great time last week. Would recommend booking through top table as it becomes quite a bargain - 3 courses and a cocktail for £25.

The girls and I shared a selection of starters from the set menu... sashimi was a definite must. As was a sizzling prawn main course.

As well as the delicious food, staff were attentive and charming. Particular mention goes to the lovely (and handsome) manager who took excellent care of our group all night. I would totally recommend.

Yeeee-har!
A great bar and restaurant tucked away off Regent Street. The general cuisine is Asian-fusion and it was delicious! We sampled canapes of sashimi, crab balls, duck and vegetable crispy rolls, sushi and many other tasty treats. A passionfruit-based martini ( the Passion Flower) with a slice of the fruit floating on the surface was my absolute favourite. Cockatails are the same as most London bars £9 - £10 and although the full a la carte menu can be pricey, there is also a range of bar food from around £3-£4 per plate so you don't have to break the bank.
The long, first-floor venue has six interconnecting circular pods that can he hired separately or in their entirety. The whole restaurant can seat 180 diners or 400 for a party, as it was used for the Avatar post-premiere knees-up. There’s also a private dining room for 14 and two (yes, count ‘em, two) champagne bars. My fave thing is the retro decor - low, round tub chairs, circular cocktail tables covered in rose petals and purple light fittings resembling upside-down jellyfish. I was here for a private event hosted by a hotel chain, but I found the bar staff really good - friendly, efficient and nothing was too much trouble. I would definitely consider going back here for a drink or meal again.
A cool, laid-back hang-out.

This is a classy establishment, for lunch or cocktails.
Asian food at its best, with a real fusion of tastes. The bento boxes are fantastic value and come with delicious ice-cream and tea, all for £15. Not bad at all. Do take a moment to watch the chefs at work - the skill and patience with which they peel wafer thin vegetables is mesmerising. Only criticism is that service was slow, but then again, the place is great for chilling.

a very nice and cosy place with excellent food a must visit attraction of london and if you are on oxford circus nearest and most possibly the best place to enjoy your time in a very descent environment

I was treated to dinner here earlier in the week and I have to say the food is delicious.

We started off in the bar with a couple of cocktails - don't expect to get one for much under £10 though. My first one was a Millers Bouquet: Millers gin shaken with fresh lime, rose & acacia honey then garnished with rose petals. It was absolutely delicious, fresh and not too sweet. Then I had a Miyabi Cocoon: Swedish pear cognac liqueur Xante & Santa Teresa Gran Reserve mixed with organic apple juice, pear puree & vanilla syrup, then garnished with fresh pears & cinnamon - again I enjoyed every sip.

The décor is really nice but the lighting a little dark which makes it best for intimate occasions like dates or anniversary dinners. The chairs take a little getting used to as they are quite laid back and it's quite difficult to get really close to the table.

The music throughout dinner was simple background music, but come 11pm this turned into the likes of Whitney Houston's 'I wanna dance with somebody' and Cameo's 'Word up'. Definitely gets more like a bar as the night goes on.

For food, our party all chose the set menu which is priced at £50. For me that's a special occasion price, but as I wasn't paying it didn't seem so bad. I chose the tiger prawn sesame toasts (which are actually little balls) to start, followed by lemon sole and caviar inside-out rolls which were nice enough. The highlight of the meal though was the fillet of beef with portabello mushrooms which was cooked to perfection and perfectly seasoned. I just wish there had been more of the gorgeous peppercorn raita on the side. It all went in the first couple of mouthfuls.

The only reason I couldn't give this restaurant 5 stars is because the quality of the service tailed off towards the end of the meal. We waited more than 25 minutes for our dessert of chocolate fondant and ice cream and with the time already 11.45 we were starting to get worried about catching our last tube home.

Tip: Try and get seated in front of the sushi chefs. These pros, with a lifetime of experience, are fascinating to watch.

Raw fish used to scare me. I grew up on a lake and I loved to go fishing with my dad, and while the childhood interest in all things gruesome meant I enjoyed watching my father filet the fish. But being a southern girl, we fried the fish; and not living near an ocean and in a small town meant there was no sushi-grade fish or sushi restaurants.

Fast-forward to my palate has developed and my tolerance for raw fish has blossomed.

Cocoon is the first real sushi restaurant in London I've tried. I attended a masterclass there and learned so much about the art that goes into these perfect bite-sized pieces. What amazing craftsmanship! I totally got my arse-kicked trying to roll a ball of rice.

The quality of fish and the products they use were top notch. The knowledge they shared and the demonstrations of styles really showed they are no sushi-train.

I could see myself going there again for an evening meal, sipping on their fantastic cocktails (including a sake mojito) and being in a vibrant part of the city, and feeling like a VIP with the almost hidden entrance and swank, rich decor.

When the wallet can handle it, I'd like to head back to be served the sushi, instead of making it myself. I've learned it's best left to the masters!

Cocoon is a stylish, discreet, semi-authentic and very dark Japanese restaurant in the heart of London, hidden just off Piccadilly Circus. It's been outside my regular bus stop for years but I've never noticed.

I was there for a Qype-organised sake masterclass, and boy did I learn things.

We sampled six sakes, I fell in love with at least two of them. The sparkling sake has to be tried, with any luck it'll replace champagne as the obligatory toast at weddings - it's lighter, fruiter and has that delicately fragranced sake taste we all love.

The Mirror of Truth is deceptively smooth but feels warm, strong and soothing thereafter - it'll be perfect for those cold winter nights.

Alongside the sake, we tried some sushi - the black cod on rice, in particular, was so delicious and succulent it made me exclaim aloud without realising I'd done so.

I emerged from the masterclass determined to try and sample more sakes and with a newfound love of Japanese food. I dare say you would too.

Sake - it's often talked about but the idea of making wine of something I pour soy sauce on and eat with a slightly bitter taste did not seem like a great idea so for my entire stay in Japan in 2007, I declined any.

Fast forward to September 2009 and enter the lovely people at Cocoon. Cocoon is slightly hidden from the Oxford St direction but is visible when you exit the Piccadilly station and turn towards Air St. It's a mere 1 - 2 minutes leisurely ambling stroll from there to the restaurant.

We started with a sparkling sake paired with edamame thingys. I managed to pop one onto my sweater. Really classy, me. The sparkling sake was a shock and I was so pleasantly surprised, I wished I could have bought a few bottles on the spot!

Next we moved on to Fair maiden with a prawn and mango cold spring roll. The sake this time was dry, contracting the sweet wet sparkling aperitif we had tried earlier. There was a light fragrance and this was 'Junmai Daiginjo' which indicated it was from high quality, pure rice and not fortified as well as the rice having lost 50% of their size before being used to make sake.

The cherry Bouquet sake paired with the sea bass sashimi introduced me for the first time not only to sake but also sashimi. Once the sashimi was eaten, the fruitfloral flavour of the fortified sake came out even more strongly. This was 'Ginjo' indicating the fortified nature of this sake. The added flavour gave this sake an additional element that I'd never experienced before.

Mirror of Truth, an ominous name for the next sake which was served warm in beautiful Kanazawa Nagamachi pottery (I think). The beef on the hot stone we were served was stunning! I’ve never been served anything like it. The subtle flavour of the sake was unlike any of the other ones and it went down smoothly. Warm sake is my second favourite next to sparkling but I fear I’ll never be able to try sake anywhere else. I trust only Cocoon right now to serve it properly.

For the next sake, we were all given glasses made in Japan with ceramic stems and special glass. Apparently, the glass changes the flavour of the sake and so the same is always used when sampling to be able to taste them against each other truly. This sake was a limited edition Miyasaka Pure ‘Junamai Ginjo’. This was served with the most heavenly delicious black cod on sticky rice ever. I think that if I die tomorrow, I’ll die happy for having tasted this cod. The sake needed to be pared with a flavourful food – it was intense, with a golden colour. It had fruity notes and was strong but smooth on the palette. The glass I got had a short stem with a bluebird egg blue porcelain colour decorated with gold and white.

The final sake was an amber colour, the colour of liquid gold. This strongly flavoured sake was a 6-year-old aged sake called Buddha’s Enlightenment. It was paired with ice cream truffles and something like a passion fruit. It could have been a passion fruit since I’ve never eaten one :-) Yes, it was an evening of firsts for me! Sake is almost never aged so to have one aged for 6 years is very rare. It is still started in a traditional method from a temple using raw rice, natural enzyme and yeast contained in well water. This sake needed to be balanced by strong flavours. I was not impressed by the chocolate, which I felt had lost something in being frozen. The chocolate lacked the depth of flavour I enjoy in my chocolate but it wasn’t intended to stand on it’s own but rather be a container for the ice cream within and in that it did an excellent job.

I now regret not having at least tried sake while I was in Japan. I know they are bidding once again for WorldCon so I may yet be back. The question is – can I let anyone but Cocoon now serve me sake and trust them…?

This beautiful Japanese restaurant specialises in cookery masterclasses. The sushi class that I attended lasted a couple of hours and and involved a balance of presentation by experts and hands-on attempts by beginners to make different kinds of sushi. It’s a bit like a very glamorous version of the Generation Game (if you can remember that) but without the depressing scores.

In fact, everyone scores here, because you get to eat what you make, as well as drink the complimentary fruit cocktails when you arrive. And if you are a natural, you might win the who-makes-the-best-nigiri competition at the end. Which means you get to take home a bottle of sake.

The restaurant is extremely pretty, without being kitsch and it’s a pleasure just to be there.

A tip for anyone trying to find it - the front door is just around the corner from Regent Street, in the side street.

If you want to impress your date with a central london location, ultra cool decor and funky cocktails, then this is the place. Just don’t have anything in your mouth when you look at the bill, as you may spray it all over them! Don’t get me wrong, I have no problem paying 12 pounds for a cocktail in such setting, but was extremely mifted when my creme brulee came out and it was the size of a golf ball cut in half!!! Do you think it would have ruined my date to order a second? Subtance over style please!

You’ve had your fill of the crowds in bustling Regent Street and you need a tranquil break… turn into Air Street and you’ll chance upon the discreet entrance to upmarket Cocoon. Climb the stairs and you’ll appreciate the modern-oriental ambiance of the bar and restaurant.

Treat yourself to a reviving, anti-oxidant-infused, berry vodka cocktail and the world seems a calmer place. If you’re fortunate enough to attend a sushi masterclass led by graceful sommelier Honami, you’ll be transported to another world.

Our Qype event was a delight and an inspiration. The skill of the sushi masters was awe-inspiring; brilliant to have our own hands-on experience, too - even if the results confirmed my lack of expertise.

Drinks here are delicious (but pricey), the surroundings are comfortably chic and the service is swish. Staff are smiling, welcoming and efficient.

Looking for super sushi in chi-chi surroundings? Look no further than Cocoon, the stylish pan-asian restaurant centrally located on Regent’s St (entrance tucked around the corner on Air St).

I was there for a fantastic qype sushi workshop led by the charming Honami, who is sommelier at Cocoon and also very knowledgeable about sushi.

Honami and two of Cocoon’s highly-skilled sushi chefs took us through the history of sushi, the difference between Tokyo and Osaka-style sushi, how to fillet a fish, how to roll sushi one-handed (oh yes!), and ultimately a sushi-making challenge.

Much to my surprise I won the prize of a small bottle of sparkling sake! (called 'festival of stars’, £21 a bottle!) I hope to attend a sake masterclass soon to learn how to properly appreciate it ;-)

SUSHI MAKING EVENT

Being a London newbie (and also QYPE newbie, come to mention it), I attended my first QYPE event, Sushi Making at Cocoon. Cocoon is a glamorous and chic venue, no wonder it has previously used for fashion shoots and perfume launches.

The immaculately dressed hostess gave us the brief history of sushi. (NB The original 'sushi bars’ were actually portable wagon carts.) We watched in wonder at the beautiful knife skills of sushi chef who danced his knife through the sea bream separating fillet from skin effortlessly.

Monkey see.…Monkey do and the Sushi Generation Game ensued. Fortunaletely we were not trusted with the sharp Japanese knives (good job too, I like my fingers!!!) We worked our way through Tekka-maki (A tuna roll), Inari (tofu stuffed with rice) and Hakozushi (A type of pressed sushi made using a rectangular wooden mold.) On the whole the groups efforts were edible but way below the experienced skills of the sushi master.

I cannot fault the event, I was fed, watered, and I learnt things along the way. Do it if you get the chance….gochisou sama deshita (thanks for the meal)

SUSHI LESSONS AT COCOON LAST WEEK: AMAZING!

Having always envied any friend who could rustle up their own sushi, I jumped at the chance to create my own pieces of mini fish wonderment. I had high hopes for these lessons, and Cocoon did not disappoint. For starters, I was greeted at the door with a genius cocktail that contained blackberries, apple juice and other magical ingredients. When the session commenced, we were given a brilliant lesson on the history of sushi, and then a series of step by step guides on making the stuff, which were amazing a) because they were easy to follow and b) you got to eat your creations as you went along. All in all? A well-fed thumbs up.

40th birthday party, 29 of us. Fantastic venue, food and drinks were excellent and the service polite and professional. Highly recommended!

I’ve been there few times, and there is a very nice atmosphere, the place is amazing and the sushi are one of the best in London…..
But when you order something, the staff ask you immediately the debit or credit card, before to get your drinks, I found this strange and not very professional… They can at least wait, and ask it once you finish.

Amazing food. Great evening out starting with amazing cocktails at the bar. I love the Sushi, Soft Shell Crab and the exotic fruit for desert are all really worth a try.