Olivia S.
Yelp
AMAZING!!! Idk how I stumbled on this gem but I'm SO glad I did!! All you need to know is a former Nobu chef owns it!!! Took old lady here for her birthday and it was the best decision ever! Also love that they're open super late night and given their later hours traffic shouldn't be too bad.
Made a reservation which I do recommend but we went at a slow time so I don't think it would've mattered, but ppl started trickling in after we got there. The musics fun and it's a cute little place, tucked away in the corner. Don't let these things fool you, you're about to get your socks blown tf off!
The menu is QR code, and birthday girl forgot her phone. Andy did have a menu to bring so I appreciated that. We were hungry and ordered a bunch of small plates, and every single one of them left me wanting more! I buy anything and everything truffles, so truffle edamame was a no brainer and didn't disappoint. If it was socially acceptable to lick dishes lol, everything on the table would've been clean!
Chilean sea bass wraps were crunchy, flavorful and tasty, salmon tacos were cute and fun bursts of flavor, and the sauce on the shrimp kushiyaki was so good, old lady kept the plate and was dipping other things in it. The sauces are presentation are part of what sets them apart. We asked about chef, he still owns it and comes in! Just went to edc that weekend, hope you had a blast sir!
I did the NY strip, lady did the lamb, I ordered the special fried rice, she ordered the udon. Let me just tell you, BEST RICE EVER!! They didn't skimp on flavor in the slightest. It's packed with garlic and pepper (not too much pepper by any means, and I'm a recent pepper fan so it can still be off putting but this is positively perfect!) it's truly some of the best fried rice I've ever had!! Ended up talking food w our friend and he has some foodie friends that brought him. He said they loved everything and ordered a second helping of rice! I get it! Truly!
The strip was presented so beautifully with the garlic, 5 or 7 spice, pepper and salt, plus the truffle yuzu sauce. It was perfectly medium rare and everything you'd want a steak to be. Woman said the lamb had a little aftertaste so Andy helped her decide on scallops. Her udon was tasty but it had nothing on the rice! I don't like scallops but I loved these! It's a running theme but the sauce made it!
In the midst of all this I asked Andy about the salmon belly (I live for pork belly and needed some kind of belly in my life!) he told us he subsisted on it the first 3 mos after he started. Again, the sauce! Completely epic and life changing on this dish. I can't say enough and craving it as I write this and recall the way it did a number on my tastebuds!
They had fun sparkling waters we'd never had, and they brightened the birthday with tiramisu and a candle. Again beautiful presentation and terribly tasty. Woman ate it all! And she doesn't do that. I could only afford a bite, my skin was getting tight and was borderline hate myself gluttony. I have to say that my mom isn't often wowed by anything. So many things I love, I get her famous, "it's ok". A birthday is special and I wanted to leave, "it's ok" in the dust! I've never heard so many successive "omg!" And "this is so good!That alone was worth it.
Andy and Yulia are nothing short of amazing. Patient, kind, knowledgeable about the menu. Everything you'd want a restaurant experience to be, but wait there's more! Andy saw I was taking pictures and had a handheld light! He even used it when he took pics for us outside! Beyond impressed!
A set of regulars came in and Andy asked how far they were through the menu, they said about 50% lol. It's not bad at 20 mins, but if I were closer I'd be doing the same thing! The leftovers made me sad bc no more food was coming out.
If you haven't gathered by now, do yourself a flavor and go! Kevin's definitely onto something and I'm absolutely coming back for more! Thank you Andy, Yulia and kitchen staff. You made my moms birthday a happy one and a real treat!