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| - If you read the reviews for this place, you'll discover that it's pretty polarizing. Keep that in mind when reading my review, or any others. You'll either love it, or not.
The decor... is colourful. I wouldn't describe it as "hipster", or cool; it's as if Eva B threw up all over Arts Cafe. I found it eye-jarring and distracting. If you can find the random boot lying on the floor, you get 20 points. One would hope that the presence of fishing gear and nets hanging from the ceiling would be reflected in the quality of the food.
Me and my date opted for Omakase 1 and 2, at which point our server (#1 of 3 that night) informed us that there was a table d'hôte not on the menu we could have for $23/person that would offer more variety. Great!
First dish is this sashimi "salad" mentioned elsewhere; I felt it was honestly more of a carpaccio, and the best part of the meal. Julienned green apple, salmon, fish roe, a bit on the sweet side but refreshing.
The rest of the meal was not so noteworthy, unfortunately. The theme of the rest of the evening: poor service, fish roe upon fish roe, an over-reliance on mayo, soggy tempura, and a one-note flavour of maki. The servers supplied me with her elbows in my face upon serving the first dish and had no idea what the second dish was, and had to ask the chef (it was the ever famous Christmas tree/"tartare"). The tell was the four poor pieces of sushi, consisting of meagre sliver of fish on over-vinagred rice.
The menu certainly serves up a lot of bells and whistles; I didn't get to experience their maki with fruit (and hope never to). Avocados, rice paper rolls (which add an unpleasant chewiness), and explosion of "Tri ssauce " all over the menu. But if you want quality seafood and product, where the freshness and simplicity of the ingredients are allowed to sing, get thee to a real sushi shop.
Oh yeah, cash only.
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