if you're from the bay area, raku is to sumika and ichiza is to sumiya (roughly). that said, raku has some creative things that work such as kobe liver served raw. sounds kinda dangerous but it works and it's uniquely good. trying something new has its rewards, and this is one of them. best dish of the night would be the sashimi salad; greens and sashimi go well with not just the dressing but the crunchy bits adding texture. just excellent. skip the grilled kobe cuz kobe that's grilled just gives it too much heat, u want it a little medium rare and u really cant get that if it's grilled. get the brown sugar pudding for dessert, just excellente. dessert is topped with some froth from the milk; first taste is the milk then you taste the brown sugar and coffee flavor later in the bite. 2 different tastes in one, wow.