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| - Some friends and I went here for happy hour recently. All of the appetizers, maki and some of the drinks are half-price 5-7pm, so we each ordered a couple appetizers and sushi plates. Everyone raved about the teriyaki ribs - soft, juicy and slightly spicy - a plate of about 5 for $5 at happy hour was quite reasonable. Tamago (sweet egg) was bland, but the avocado roll (nicely priced at $1.75) was plump and fresh. Chicken lettuce wraps were just okay; my favorite lettuce wraps are at Ginger China Bistro up in Glendale, and these were passable but not something I'd order again.
A friend ordered a Turning Japanese (a specialty drink made up of orange-infused sho chu, Japanese melon soda, vodka & Asian fruit juice), and after offering everyone at the table a sip, we all agreed it was exquisite. Seriously good stuff - even though it had a lot of alcohol in it, it did not taste alcohol-y.
Kudos to the chef for redoing an entree to make it allergen-free for one of our party. Nice to have a chef and waitress who know what 'anaphylactic' means.
Cons - The music was very loud and not my style. After a while I couldn't wait to go outside for some quiet, and to get out from under the penetrating stares of the three tragically dead rockers on the wall. As other reviewers have questioned, what are they doing here? Looming over the bar, are they there to serve as a cautionary tale? As a heads-up on the music played there, i.e., that few tunes are from female-fronted bands? Shrug.
The tables are low and funky (in terms of shape) and the seat cushions do not provide much in the way of back support. They do have regular chairs, but the 'floor' option was easier for a group. However, there's no one there scolding you for bad posture, and quite a few floor dwellers were slouching happily.
This place was designed for people far more limber and hipper than me, such as the waitresses - fabulously gorgeous and sewn into tight black dresses crafted purposely to show off miles of tanned, toned legs. I watched people's eyes follow the waitresses around the room. Indeed, they were quite the distraction.
All in all, I'd come back for happy hour - but sit in regular chairs and leave before my ears reached sensory overload.
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