Helen K.
Yelp
I took a gamble on a celebration dinner and it didnt pan out like I wanted.
I wanted to check out either Ishin or Celestia but I didn't want to overeat nor pay premium price for a non-michelin omakase when I can go to Brush or Mujo for the same price. Based on the omakase pictures that i can find, it didnt look promising. Alas, I chose Celestia.
Celestia opened a month ago but waited to go for a special occasion and regretted since their pricing had increased like crazy. i.e. tomahawk steak raised from $175 to $250...
Also, the main reason i wanted to go to Celestia was the night skyline but starting December they removed all the outdoor seating. Though you can still walk out and take pictures, I would recommend that they capitalize on the season with holiday drinks and outdoor seating option with heaters and blankets.
Here's the breakdown from parking to the end. Only valet parking is available which is $8 plus tip. Our valet guys were super friendly.
Once you're at the lobby, the security guard checks your reservation and keys you up to the rooftop. I thought this was a bit weird since I was questioning if I was at the wrong place.
Once you get off, you have to make a left to the hostess station which was a bit confusing since theres already so many people/tables right out of the elevator that we didnt know where the hostess table was.
I chose the bar area based on the descriptions and pictures but that was also a bad selection. The bold wallpaper was one of my reasons to choose the spot but we were seated at the edge where I couldn't even get a proper pic. We waited for the party next to us to leave but despite ordering half of what we had ordered and getting the check at the same time, they never left so we left without a pic.
The other reasons I didnt like was that its the pathway to the kitchen so theres so much foot traffic. Also I dont think you can avoid it since half the seats here are couches but couches are not the most comfortable when eating or when wearing a dress or skirt since this specific couch fabric was coarse.
Cafe seating had the most lighting and wooden tables but no one was seating there. In the lounge area, there was some 2 seaters which seemed more comfortable in the seating sense but cramped when it came to party of 2 since the tables were super close.
Lighting is pretty dim everywhere and the ambiance is great with live DJ playing pretty good music but for a foodie like me, too dark for pics.
Regarding dress code, on the website, they recommend dress shirts and skirts or dresses so we dressed up but ended up being uncomfortable. Everyone else was wearing more lounge outfits with just long sleeve shirts or sweaters which would have been more comfortable on the couch.
Drink wise, I was under the weather so I opted for mocktails. I ordered the Horizon which was delicious but my husband's whisky was so-so. Im sure overall their cocktails are good since thats the main thing that everyone was ordering. Drinks and finger foods while we were there to actually eat and our check was almost as much as going to omakase.
For food, we ordered the salad, hamachi crudo, rockefeller oysters, lobster, and the steak.
PASS on the salad. I just picked off the grapefruits and luckily it was only $12 but otherwise I would have asked to take it back. It was just tossed greens with pomegranate and grapefruits.
We like MF sushi so we knew what to expect for Hamachi crudo. The flavor was good but I dont know if it was the plating but the fish looked awfully small and not very pretty plated. Also bites of the frozen sauce chunks were a bit unpleasant as well.
Rockefeller oysters were delicious. It had lot of texture but without being overly cheesy or heavy. Loved it and can actually taste the oyster quality that I wanted to try the raw oysters as well.
Lobster toban yaki used to be one of my favorites at Umi but since we dont go there anymore I was looking forward to it here. Same concept but at Umi, they didnt heat enough that it was always sort of cold while as here, it was like fireworks going off and my tongue got burnt. The fire heat is out of control that butter explodes everywhere and you panic to get all the lobster off the grill and push away your purse and coat. Definitely need to get all of our clothes dry cleaned. The smell is pretty powerful that I saw another table near us getting theirs quite after our presentation.
For our main, we got the Tomahawk steak. They bring out the raw meat for presentation before cooking and it takes about 25minutes to cook. It was pretty tasty but the whole price hike put a bit of bitterness in my taste.
For dessert, got their signature apple shaped dessert, Momo. I liked the citrus and lightness of the dessert but wasnt a fan of the white chocolate apple shaped casing.
Overall, if youre looking for a great ambiance, this is your spot but hope this helps with your expectations.
