I stopped in Otani for lunch while waiting for traffic to thin out on 271 recently. As my eyes adjusted from the sunny day outside I was happy to find that I had entered a cozy space. The gloss black chairs, low lighting and beaded curtains made me feel as if I was being naughty by nipping off for lunch on a weekday!
I was warmly greeted by a waitress and sat back to peruse the menu. I ordered three appetizers for lunch: the crab rangoon (okay, but only four of them), the fried tofu (amazing and filling), and the dumplings (not fresh and quite hard on the outside).
Some girls next to me ordered the lunch hibachi, however I never heard their food being grilled. By the time I left they were eating their lunches but I don't know where it was cooked. Although the menu lists "lunch hibachi" I didn't actually witness Hibachi chefs grilling food. This, is a mystery...
I read the sushi menu but nothing denoted that the rolls that were spicy/not spicy. I like spicy rolls with cream cheese and crunchy, deep fried crust. I couldn't tell from the menu what would meet my expectations - and sadly the waitstaff seemed slightly unequipped to deal with an in-depth discussion in English.
The meal I had was delicious and the hot sake was priced slightly below other area restaurants.
The decor may be kitschy but walking through a beaded curtain makes me feel like I'm the star in a 1970s B-movie.