Ahlennah B.
Yelp
We'll, this was one of the most interesting and enjoyable meals I have had in a long time. Every dish here was a surprise and a delight. I wish I lived here so I could go back and back again until I had tried the whole menu!
Vibe inside is like a chill nightclub (complete with disco lights). Medium loud, but still perfectly reasonable for conversing across the table. Probably not great for a large group, but what a fabulous date night spot. Most of the dinners here on my visit were in twos. Lovely wooden tables with both bench seating and chairs. This is a smallish place, but it never felt uncomfortably packed. They use the space well.
Excellent service. We had a very sweet waitress. Knowledgable, great recommendations, checked on us regularly. Several other servers brought us dishes throughout, as things were ready. They felt like they kept us waiting, but we didn't even notice it. They brought us a mochi at the end of our meal as an apology for the wait we didn't notice so very kind of them!
Miso sesame cucumber salad - yum! Lovely dressing, very refreshing. String miso flavor, which I loved. Super creamy, think sliced cucumber chunks. Would definitely order again.
Robata pork skewer - excellent glaze! Beautiful pork! These are big chunks! Also, holy moly, whatever they do to these babies, the fat just melts on your mouth like custard. Outstanding experience. I could easily see just ordering several of these and calling it a day it's one piece per order, but it's a big piece. I was worried that it seemed expensive before I put in my mouth, but that went right out the window as soon as I tasted it. 17/10, would order again, and frequently.
Whisky steak - so much better even than it sounded in print! The fries are the large flat steak fry variety, the steak itself was a perfect medium rare, at our request. The sauce was a poem. I could dip everything in it! But you will not believe the miracle of a culinary experience that was the mushrooms in this dish!
I normally avoid mushrooms because they're usually squeaky and squishy texturally in a way that I find off-putting, regardless of flavor. I keep trying to like them, tho, because they're so good for you and because my partner loves them...so I acquiesced and tried the last mushroom on the plate when he offered it. My regrets were immediate. I wish I had eaten them all. I wish these were their own menu item so I could order a whole plate of them! I tried to pry the chef's secret out of our waitress. All she knew was that they smoke them. Oh. My. God. The softest, most unctuous, melty experience. No squeakiness, no weird rubber texture, no chewy nonsense...just utter delight. What a joy! I still can't get over it a week later!
Lamb katsu - this is a grind lamb patty, so I was worried it might be dry or boring. What was I thinking?? This was incredible. The flavor was so comforting, the spices perfectly balanced, no gamey flavor at all, absolutely delicious. The breading was light, perfectly crispy, just the right thickness, and the most skillfully even golden brown. The tonkotsu sauce accompanying it was maybe the best I have ever had. The thinly sliced (pickled?) cabbage salad that it came with complimented it wonderfully.
Mango mochi - just the right amount of mochi on the outside with a lovely mellow mango ice cream on the inside, just the right level of sweetness and flavor. Some mochi's have too thick of a mochi later for me, but not this one. I would love to try all of their flavors!
What a wonderful experience this was. I look forward to all future trips to Detroit for the chance to try more of this exciting and inspiring food.