I wasn't sure what I was walking into. The place has practically zero digital footprint and all I knew was that it was the buzzy new spot with two chefs with good pedigree. Normally I expect an izakaya to be more casual and fun (my normal haunts are Chome and Rintaro) but this experience was surprisingly refined. The food was exceptional and damn near perfect. I would say the food was on par with Niku Steakhouse in terms of quality. The space itself is small and tight but also intimate and cozy with original details. Noise levels were low and we could hear each other talk quite easily. They don't have a full liquor license so they only have sake and a selection of beers (and one bottle of wine…..not by the glass) to choose from.
Food:
Sashimi sampler – 9/10. We ordered all of the varieties of fish they had (Chutoro, toro, ora kind and maybe saba?). All were delicious but the Ora king salmon was probably my favorite….it was like butter.
Sear tuna tataki with chives and garlic – 8/10. Great flavors going on in this dish. Excellent quality fish. Not sure what the sauce was made of but it was delicious.
Lobster potato salad with parsnip and tarragon – 8/10. I actually really loved this but I would agree with the rest of the table that the lobster itself was pretty scant and hard to detect.
Miso ceasar salad with parmesan crumble – 7/10. Nothing remarkable but tasty and the roughage was nice.
Veggie set – 7/10. The veggies that came out were not the veggies that were advertised. The white asparagus was fantastic, the broccoli was good, but everyone said that the caramelized daikon was forgettable (my piece fell on the floor so didn't get to sample)
Salmon crudo with strawberry relish and mint – 10/10. Really loved the flavors going on here. Every component was fully conceptualized.
Mochi donut with pork belly and cured egg yolk- 10/10. Super crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside. Pork belly on top had wonderful flavor.
Tuna Wellington – 10/10. I don't know how they managed to get that pastry cooked but still managed to keep the tuna perfectly rare inside. The beef tare sauce was absolutely delicious. Rich with warm spices. We thought it tasted kind of like pho mole.
Karaage with honey butter glaze and sesame nori furikake – 12/10. Impossibly shatteringly crisp crust. Chicken itself had amazing texture and was super juicy and flavorful.
Chicken oyster with duck liver and ponzu – 10/10. It's clear chicken is where this restaurant shines.
King crab okonomiyaki – 10/10. Not your traditional okonomiyaki, but the flavors were all there.
Hojicha tiramisu – 10/10. It was more like a cheesecake custard with tea woven throughout. Really incredible.
Overall, I can't recommend this place enough. It's not cheap, but it's worth it imho. With drinks, tax and tip, we ended up spending about $150 a head. Plates are small and we actually ended up ordering more than we expected. I can't speak for consistency since they are new and I've only been once, but if they make food like this every day, I could see them getting a Michelin star. I would get in now before this place blows up.
Enjoy!
by mrxtian