| rev:text
| - I tried to come here multiple times only to find them closed early. Oh, the woes of the nocturnal... However, we finally made it! I had to call and ascertain the hours and off we went in quest of yummy Nihon-tabemono.
When our crew arrived, the restaurant was empty. We had a few moments of second guessing, wondering if we found the right place, but the waitress eased our fears and seated us in a booth.
Right off the bat, I ordered my favorite; Takoyaki! I find something inherently beautiful in a skilled grill-maestro crafting crisp rounded exteriors cradling molten hot, gooey, yamaimo/nagaimo infused batter and tender chunks of tako. These rounds are then doused in japanese mayo, benishoga/red ginger and wispy bonito flakes- though toppings vary depending on the establishment. HERE, they were crisp on the exterior and more chewy than gooey on the inside, with a few small pieces of tako suspended within. Less toppings than I'm used to seeing, more solid and perhaps a bit more overcooked. They were satisfactory, but not outstanding.
After the takoyaki, we shared rounds of sushi rolls around the table. The rolls were pretty normal, Americanized rolls. Nothing particularly outstanding. We tried the; Kamikaze roll [spicy tuna inside with eel & avocado outside], a Tiger roll [shrimp tempura inside topped with spicy tuna, avocado and masago] & a Cali crunch roll [deep fried california roll topped with masago]. We finished a couple of the rolls but the cali crunch had most of it left when we departed. Meh.
I ordered the Spicy Pork Miso Ramen, which was recommended by our waitress. It was A HUGE bowl, with enough food for me to donate several bowls around the table and to share with my boyfriend. Chewy egg noodles, ground pork and a hearty, umami miso-rich broth with lots of chili oil floating on top drenched in a lake of soup. It was a flavorful broth, but not anything to scream "YATTA!" over. There was 1/2 a hard boiled egg, which was cooked beautifully [the yolk was still creamy and custard] and one gristly, fatty, sad looking piece of pork. sono buta wa mazui deshita... :{ Better than top ramen, yes, but not particularly crave worthy.
Maybe we went at a bad time of night. The tempura seemed well done, but I only had a few nibbles off the pieces my boyfriend pilfered from our friends, such as the asparagus and pepper. The vegetables seemed crispy, which is a plus. I'd like to try other items, such as their grilled meats, okonomiyaki & sashimi menu before I completely write them off.
There are a lot of Xs on the menu, and the specials weren't available while we were there. They advertise Asahi on their beer list but really only offer Sapporo.
I'll probably be back, eventually. I want to give them the benefit of the doubt because they were suggested to me by a friend who's lived in Japan. I'm hoping it was an off-night. :}
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