Sandy L.
Yelp
Made a reservation on a Saturday night at 8pm at the sushi counter, and despite the heavy down pouring rain just a half hour prior, I was surprised to see the entire restaurant was full when we arrived. The restaurant is easy to find when you're driving, but when the elevators from the underground garage are out of service, it definitely makes finding your way out a little more challenging! We ended up finding our way to the street level and then making our way up the steps to the second floor to get to the restaurant entrance. Upon entering the restaurant, the lighting was slightly dim, initially suggesting an intimate and sophisticated setting, but is quickly offset by the loud music.
The dinner menu is pretty self-explanatory and not as elaborate as some other sushi establishments, making the decision making process less burdensome. We shared the roasted cauliflower appetizer, which had an interesting tart and citrusy flavor from the sauce. Although the dish enhanced our dinner by adding a satisfying crunch, I'm not sure I would order it again as the tartness just didn't seem to complement the cauliflower well, and instead, overpowered the natural mild and subtly sweet flavor of the cauliflower.
The salmon carpaccio, on the other hand, was very well executed. The tartness of the dressing, texture of the toppings, and freshness of the garnish paired nicely with the salmon. I was definitely impressed by this dish, and would order this again next time without hesitation.
The star of our dinner was the toro caviar, which comes with 2 pieces per order. This is one of the options on the Chef's Creation menu, and consists of coarsely minced fatty tuna held together by two small pieces of crispy milk bread and topped with caviar. This was a perfect combination of crunchy and savory without any fishiness, and the fatty tuna just melts in your mouth! I was impressed, and would order seconds and thirds next time (especially if the menu is unchanged, and nothing else stands out at the time)!
As for dessert, we ordered the matcha cheesecake, which is Modan's most popular dessert option. The dessert can easily be for one person, but it can also be shared between two people if you're already both full. The dessert is presented as a creamy matcha filling within a small wooden square box, topped with small pieces of crunchy, slightly sweet and savory pieces of cheesecake "crust" and a few pieces of freshly chopped strawberry and an edible flower, with a side of yuzu sorbet on top of small pieces of cheesecake "crust." Without a dessert menu that provides a description of the dessert and all of its "glory", I didn't expect to be served a deconstructed cheesecake (let alone with a side of yuzu sorbet), and maybe that's the reason for my diminished enjoyment of this dessert. I will most likely skip dessert here next time.
Overall, Modan offers a nice setting for a date night, but the loud music and the mostly mediocre food options make for more to be desired. I won't hesitate to come back, but I also won't have as high of expectations for the food next time.