Sara W.
Google
The food was delicious, but the yellowtail collar ($11.27) was much smaller than I expected. It did come with a lovely salad, and perhaps for someone else, it would have been suitable, but it really did not have much meat on it. It was a very nice piece, though.
The takoyaki ($4.86) was incredible - perfectly crispy and golden on the outside, soft and well seasoned on the inside. It was average sized but only 3 pieces. Most places I've been do 4, and that would have been preferable. There is only one piece of octopus in it, as well. This doesn't detract from the quality of the dish; it really was some of the best I've had recently. It's just notable as a point of comparison.
Food got one star knocked off for the aforementioned reasons - I'd only do a half star, but it won't let me. Service loses a star because we ordered spicy garlic edamame ($5) right off the bat, but it didn't arrive until we were more than half done with our food. It was very spicy but good. It also took quite a long time to receive the check after we requested it. Our server, Alec, was very attentive and kind, showing us the menu and letting us know about the dessert, but the kitchen was a touch inconsistent in regards to time.
Other items on the table included a salmon skin hand roll I am told was EXCELLENT ($5.61); a blue crab hand roll that was not great ($6.27); (fantastic) chicken kaarage curry ($17.75); and tempura shrimp and baked salmon rolls ("very good!") ($6.07, $6.27). Not pictured was an aburi shimesaba roll ($8.35) that knocked our socks off with the meaty quality of the Japanese mackerel, a Sapporo ($4.99) and a round of free matcha roll cakes for having left a review which were obviously kept frozen but still had very strong matcha flavor and was a refreshing end to the meal.
We sat outside on the patio because the inside was full except for the bar. I think we came just at the start of the dinner rush, about 5:30 pm on a Friday night. Right next to the patio was a sort of alley leading to the parking structure, where someone was playing saxophone. They were pretty good, but they only played about 10 songs in a sort of loop. We were also directly opposite the AMC, and just down the way was a bustling collection of street vendors all lined up. As a result, the ambiance on the patio was relaxed but high energy - the vibes were chill, but the noise and bustle could be overstimulating for some. It was pretty nice, though, and even though it's hot out, it's surrounded by tall buildings so we were not in direct sunlight.
