Tony L.
Yelp
I was excited at the opening of a new cocktail bar in my neighborhood - so long, I thought, would be the days of trudging to Park Slope or the city for good libations. Having experienced it, I realise I am not yet so lucky.
Oldies came to my attention when a fellow teacher posted up photos from Sunday HH. They proclaimed that the persimmon cocktail was good and that the Japanese snacks were a delight. I decided to come here the next weekend with my partner, after filling our bellies at Japan Village next door.
The vibes and set up are super cool - very minimal, but with that, limited seating. They proclaim themselves to be a reverse speak-easy of sorts - you have to get to the eatery they're connected to via the entrance to the bar.
I was interested in their signature cocktails, and they said it would be the fruit infusions. After hearing the types of cocktails associated, I decided to order the grapefruit since it would have mezcal and campari. My partner went with a sake glass, since they had an impressive list of them. He got to choose his 2 oz sake cup, while I received my blow-torched, egg-white drink shortly after. We also ordered the raw oysters and fluke crudo to try.
The oysters, while not to my liking, were incredibly fresh and flavourful. The sake was also excellent and aromatic. However, the grapefruit cocktail and fluke crudo were disappointing. The cocktail lacked nuance and fell flat - it didn't register as anything in particular, and while my partner argued bitterness, it didn't have enough campari to do so, not would that have helped. It was incredible "meh", and needed that extra something to even it out - bitters, probably. Fluke also tends to be on the milder side of flavour, and texturally was interesting. The yuzu peel and pink peppercorn were delightful, but there was too much shiso leaf shaved atop (not indicated in the description) which overpowered the experience of the texture and muted the other flavours. I really wanted to like it the dish, so I tried skimming some shiso off, which helped a bit, but only made it permissible.
Because we're big on cocktails, we probably will not be returning, but if you're in the mood for sake or Japanese snacks, this may be your place. Also be warned that seating is EXTREMELY limited (about 10), so you should plan strategically.