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| - Hmmm...I was planning to lose my AYCE sushi virginity to Ms. Goyemon but there was a two hour wait so instead I opted for the next girl available named Ms. Oyshi....I'd rather like to think we didn't go all the way and I'm still saving myself for the former.
For 26 bucks, I think it's definitely in line with Sushi Goyemon, but I happened to be in the company of some friends who had been there as well, so I was able to get some perspective as I proceeded with my first time navigating this a la carte ordering feeding frenzy. The first few speed bumps which caught my eye were some ground rules listed in the menu:
1. No sashimi, only one order of oysters (4 pieces), uni, and sweet shrimp allowed...fair enough
2. No excess rice shall be allowed to remain uneaten on the plate, otherwise that order will be counted as extra on the final bill....have people been discarding their rice into a large pile assembling a massive sculptured mountain of rice? The rice that was used to prepare the sushi was highly variable in quality (too soft, too firm, or mixed) throughout the various rounds of ordering so it only motivated us to concoct creative methods for disposing the rice (hiding it in the tea jar, breaking it into tiny grains and scattering it across the plate so as to create the illusion of a clean plate, and to borrow a technique from a friend who disliked rice during her early childhood, placing said rice into mouth and going to bathroom to dispose in toilet/trash). Of course none of this was done, but it was tempting nonetheless.
3. Any orders which are unfinished in general will be counted as extra orders on the final bill...this was adhered yet strangely enough after receiving our final round of food (a modest 2-3 rolls) the server waited when we were rubbing our bellies and chimes in "you have two more rolls coming!" and none of us had any idea where these phantom rolls were coming from and she then replies with a snarky shrug "I'll take them off your order" as if she was doing us a favor....pure shenanigans
4. The jalapeno poppers on the appetizer menu were not allowed to be included amongst the AYCE orders....what kind of crazy logic is this? Wouldn't it be good strategy to fill your customers with heartburn due to fatty spicy cream cheese richness to slow down their intake of much much more expensive items? Either these are the greatest jalapeno poppers in the history of appetizers or a missed business opportunity. I don't even like jalapeno poppers but I almost was willing to eat one just because this condition existed.
THE MEAL
The appetizers (ahi poke, spicy sashimi salad, and miso soup) The poke might as well have been unseasoned sashimi, whereas the sashimi salad was overdressed nearly drowning in the chili vinaigrette, and the miso soup was surprisingly not overly salty as I anticipated but ended up being the surprise highlight of the meal.
The "big three" (uni, raw oysters, and sweet shrimp)...not exceedingly fresh but no risk of possible food poisoning either, although the oysters had a watered down quality to them....only tasted good since they were not specifically paid for.
The nigiri: I sampled the surfer clam, spanish mackerel, japanese yellowtail, and a few other standards....there was definitely something I couldn't put my finger on but the level of freshness just seemed 1 level below what you would expect if you ordered these same items at a regular reputable sushi bar. I'm thinking perhaps they were precut in mass production and by the time they arrived they were partially dried out from the external surface area of each piece of fish being exposed for a prolonged period of time.
The rolls: Perhaps I've had enough sushi experiences to have progressed beyond rolls since they are drenched in so much sauce (seriously, what is the obsession with orgasm sauce in this town?), crispy shavings of empty calories, or packed with so many types of fish that I couldn't really differentiate any of them out of a sushi roll lineup much like the Seinfeld episode where George tries to catch the Twix bar candy thief ("It's a SETUP! They're all Caterpillar rolls!!") I would try to limit your roll intake and focus on the other items to keep your palate from being overwhelmed(and to avoid the server from pulling that phantom roll maneuver as previously discussed)
Last but not least, we figured we had successfully navigated through the labyrinth of extra charges until we received the final bill which charged us for the hot tea...are you serious??? So you're telling me I could have drank an entire gallon of miso soup instead of one measly cup of hot green tea which cost you pennies to brew? Perhaps these were some tea leaves taken from the Emperor's garden, but I would appreciate a warning next time.
3 stars only because we definitely still got our money's worth, but I'm leaving a few more stars to be earned since my friends reassured me Goyemon is better.
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