| rev:text
| - Yes it's true, the restaurant has an air of la snob.
Don't even think about walking in without an reservation, it's impossible to get a seat even though a lot of seats may look empty. Apparently, there are "reservations." We saw this happen to many people and we also attempted at it once.
We were 10 minutes early for our reservation but since the restaurant hadn't technically "opened" yet, we were made to wait outside in the grimy Chinatown sidewalk. Which was fine. Then we saw 4 international guests walk out of the restaurant fully fed and intoxicated. These guys were probably friends with the chef/owner or were especially special guests because the staff were farewelling them and all this fancy stuff. This was fine too. So we were the only 2 waiting outside and finally the restaurant had opened but we weren't sure if we could enter because the door was still closed and the hostess didn't invite us in. So we waited some more and finally we thought screw it let's go inside. We got in and there was no "thank you for waiting" courtesy and the chef was standing around in his undershirt. Finally, we got seated and I have to admit I started dinner a little bit aggravated and unsure why I was here.
The cold service was quickly forgotten as I dove into our first dish (Kanpachi), then our second, then our third, fourth, fifth...twelveth. The food was ridiculously delicious -- Japanese food taken to another level! The service gets better once you are seated and you order food. The waitress describes and food and is polite.
My favorite items:
1. Raku's Tofu - homemade, best tofu I've ever eaten
2. Sashimi Salad - the dressing is superb
3. Kobe Beef Outside Skirt with Garlic - obviously this is going to be awesome!
4. Butter Sautéed Scallop with Soy Sauce - I wished I ordered more of this dish. Sharing one was simply not enough for me!
5. Daily Special: Kanpachi - super fresh
6. Daily Special: Blue Crab Miso Soup - you can actually taste both ingredients.
Maybe will order again:
1. Melting chocolate cake - if I have room, I'd order this again
2. Green tea creme brulee - this one was standard, nothing special
Wouldn't order again:
1. Poached Egg with Sea Urchin and Salmon Roe - Visually and ideally appealing but the texture creeped me out. I thought I was eating really flavorful phlegm.
2. Agedashi Tofu - Raku's tofu was better because the simple ingredients enhanced the tofu. The Agedashi was a bit overpowered by sauce.
3. Oyako Don Chicken and Egg - I don't think it's a dish you should order at a restaurant like this
4. Oyster Isobeyaki - The way it was grilled made the oyster way too chewy for my taste. And, I didn't like the crispy seaweed accompanying it.
Also, if you have time check out my photos of all the things we ate!
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