Heather P.
Yelp
If we could offer this restaurant six stars, we would. You wouldn't know it by its strip mall exterior or simple and understated interior, but this eatery rivals some of the stiffest competition in all of Phoenix. We were greeted and seated immediately, offered menus, and had Genmaichai and lemon water within minutes. Every member on staff, from bussers to head chef, worked like a symphony, a well-oiled machine; heads down, yet all working together as if knitted that way. The kitchen was spotless, save for any cooking done that day. The tables were well-appointed with table clothes and linen napkins. We started with Umi No Sachi, lightly dressed quality greens with perfectly thinly sliced pieces of sashimi - we had salmon, fatty tuna, octopus, red snapper, and albacore. As soon as that was gone, we received miso soup, which came with our mains. I appreciated that the tea and soup were not H-O-T; I imagine great care was taken to offer these at perfect temps. Miso was followed by more salad, and finally mains of miso-glazed salmon and mid-rare steak, both accompanied by Japanese vegetables and salty brined matchstick daikon and carrot, as well as white rice. My husband chose to round it all off with green tea mochi, but I could not fathom eating one more bite; besides, I was more interested in the fried Twinkie or deep fried fig. We will return every time we visit Phoenix, and will likely visit before we leave. Brava to chef Hashimoto and her incredibly hard-working team!