For years Miyatake has had an upstanding reputation as a solid after-work salaryman’s spot. Its single-counter space inside the old-school Tokyu Supermarket at MBK shopping mall has been praised as one of the most-affordable spots for fresh sushi inside a mall.

But time hasn’t been kind to Miyatake. While we don’t expect fireworks from anything at MBK, it’s a shock to see how disappointing things have gotten here. Not only is the menu an unappealing mess of pixelated food images, but it lists many dishes the restaurant no longer serves.

Fans of fatty otoro tuna flesh, the servers tell us, now need to make do with cyu-toro (medium fatty tuna, B350 for sushi/B1,100 for sashimi) instead. On our last visit, the Matsuwa Set (B690), four pieces of red tuna sushi and two cyu-toro sushi, had clearly not been sliced well, the result being chewy pieces of fish sinew in every bite.

We found the same problem with the tetsuka don (red meat tuna in shoyu sauce, B380), which is also let down by mushy, dull rice. There’s similarly little to write home about regarding the grilled eel dragon roll (B350), in which the one-dimensional eel is covered in a tedious, sweet yaki sauce.

Surprisingly, the only real highpoint at Miyatake comes from their teppan (grill) station, which manages to serve a tender, flavorful sirloin steak (B500/200g) complemented by a shoyu and mashed peppers dipping sauce instead of the usual mayonnaise mixed with spring onions. But that’s not enough to make Miyatake worth recommending.

Thanks to poor-quality sushi coupled with inattentive service, MBK’s best kept secret is one we’ll happily take to the grave. 

This review took place in July 2016 and is based on a visit to the restaurant without the restaurant's knowledge. For more on BK's review policy, click here.