Karen Y.
Yelp
Deliciously fresh and inspiring food, as well as friendly service and a warm ambiance!
Upon walking in, you're greeted at the door by friendly waitstaff, who immediatedly start taking care of you.
For drinks, I recommend the yuzu ale for a light and fruity pairing to your meal. The hakkasain sake is stronger; more dry and fresh, but still light on the palate.
Knowing this is a tapas restaurant, we opted for their sashimi omakase ($53 for 10 pieces), as well as a variety of their other small plates to make for a complete meal. I was impressed by the quality of everything!
After we ordered, during our wait for our appetizers, the chef sent over a plate of their file fish jerky on the house to thank us for waiting (not even that long!). I was touched by the attention they paid their customers! The jerky was yummy; salty, umami, with a light chew, and when topped with the mayo, made for a creamy bite. What a great start to the meal!
The hamachi was so fresh. The texture is soft, but still with a light chew. The dressing is lightly acidic and sour, just enough to lift the ocean brine out of the flavor.
The tempura fish is a whole fish, filleted and fried! I think frying the fish whole allowed the moisture to stay inside the fish, while still getting a crispy exterior. The sauce is a nice complement to the light flavor; sweet and sour, but not overpowering.
The sashimi omakase was delightful!
- Tuna: slight briney flavor after eating. Fresh, tender, nice amount of pre applied wasabi.
- Salmon: a little tough and drier, not as much flavor.
- Hamachi: elegant smokey flavor. The texture is tougher.
- Blue shrimp: flavorful, umami, a little sweet, chewy texture.
- Otoro: The star of the sashimi plate. Super soft and melty and fatty! Beautiful.
- Uni with salmon roe: sweet and savory, creamy, with the two parts working well together as a whole.
The unagi with cucumbers is hearty! The warm, sweet and sourness melts in your mouth, and is brought higher by the crunchy freshness of the cucumber.
I thought the ebi nigiri could use more flavor; the texture is kind of limp and bland, and the natural sweetness of the shrimp doesn't shine quite as much.
The california roll has such creamy crab! The creaminess of the crab makes the whole bite cohesive.
Lastly, the saffron mussels were a bit of a letdown. There were bits of broken shell throughout the stew, so you need to be careful. The flavor is floral from the saffron, spicy, and a little overly salty. The texture of the mussels are also a bit tough.
Throughout our meal, we were given complimentary drinks thanks to it being my dining partner's birthday. At the end, the chef sent over some delicious tamago on the house! It was so fluffy and palate cleansing. I especially appreciate the hospitality by the staff here.
I look forward to returning, and highly recommend this locals favorite spot!