Upon entering, the layout was welcoming - Very clean & spacious. The sushi bar is directly in front of you, so you see that the Japanese offerings are very fresh.
I was seated and greeted by a very nice server. She came over, and asked if I wanted something to drink and left to go get it. She returned in no time and asked if I was ready. I was still reading the menu so I asked for a couple minutes. She then *disappeared*. All the staff that were running around were nowhere to be seen. I waited patiently... about 10-15 mins later, the server appears and asks what I'd like. That didn't sit well with me bc they were not busy... AT ALL. On to the meal.
Overall takeaway: Flavor is not something that is stressed here. Presentation is nice but flavor... not so much. Allow me to explain.
1. I started with Arnold Palmer, which is always a hit!!! SCORE!!!
Appetizers:
2. Fried Calamari- ZERO FLAVOR!!
I've never had calamari that had no flavor before. Maybe calamari is always blandly fried but there's always something put on top (lemon, S&P, a glaze, sweet Thai chili sauce, fish sauce drizzle, a sprinkling of spring onions... something). This appetizer had nothing. Additionally, the calamari were the size of massive onion rings. When calamari are served as tiny rings the outside gets cooked and the inside gets cooked and it just pops in your mouth and it's a fantastic experience. These onion ring sized calamari for fried super crispy on the outside and inside were juicy, huge, rubbery rings. They were quite wet. When the calamari rings are small and you can eat them quickly say some words and move onto the next. With every bite of these onion rings I had to chew chew chew chew chew and chew some more because this thickening of squid simply wasn't fried in any way. Just the outside was. It was too rubbery for my taste. Now, if you enjoy huge pieces of boiled rubbery fish, you're gonna love this dish. I'm not one of those people. VERDICT... FAIL!
3. Next, was for the Crab Rangoon - This is a common appetizer on many Asian menus. It's a deep fried wonton stuffed with cream cheese and imitation crab meat. It's always fun because it's formed in a star shaped pillow with a creamy flavored center. These however, were more like flattened cream cheese filled wontons. My initial thought, upon their arrival was, akin to the 80s/90s 'Wendy's' commercial tagline which was, 'WHERE's THE CRAB (beef)'?!?! (Only if ur a certain age, will you get that reference). VERDICT... FAIL!
On to the main dishes. I noticed that the table next to me had dishes with lots of rice and vegetables and meat and noodles. They looked delicious. They were shiny and colorful and I was excited. I do admit however, I absolutely love sushi. So that was direction I went in. Too bad bc those dishes looked delicious. Next time...
The Sushi chosen was:
3a) Alaska Roll (8pcs): Salmon, Cucumber & Avocado. Clean, fresh, simple, creamy... DELICIOUS!!! SCORE!!!
3b) Salmon Avocado Roll (8pcs): Also clean, simple and creamy... DELICIOUS!!! SCORE!!!
3c) Japanese Lasagna (8pcs): Baked California roll with Spicy Mayo & Masago. Now I have had Japanese Lasagna before where you can select the protein you'd like (I always choose salmon). This version, however, is only a California roll. Regardless, this was the most flavorful roll out of the three rolls ordered. YUMMMMINESS!!! SCORE!!!
Overall impression: GOOD - Come for the entrees and to have a good convo. The seating is really well set up to have intimate conversations at your table. Nice touch. But by all means, avoid the fried appetizers if flavor means anything to you. Tanoshimu... read more