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| - I arrived hopeful - left disappointed. Woe is me!
I heard very mixed things about this place - that it was past it's glory days, that the very particular Japanese dishes such as Takoyaki and Okonomiyaki were a disappointment, that it was not authentic Japanese, etc. Which is a shame because my MO was to locate a restaurant that has great Okonomiyaki. After the enormous shame that was Doh! Tapas and Sushi (again, another restaurant that has no business serving Izakaya style food), I was SO hopeful.
First off: Not Japanese run. This restaurant is Izakaya style and when I asked the server if this was a Izakaya, looked utterly confused. Okay, then. Plays Japanese music, serves Japanese food, Japanese notes on wall - not Japanese.
Lousy service. One poor, friendly waitress running around for seven tables. SEVEN tables. My water sat empty after my initial gulp and my hot tea sat in a similar fate. (And they only have sweet iced tea? Who does that?)
The server attempted to sit me next to a giant family table with a screaming baby. Meanwhile, about twenty other tables sat empty. Uh, what? WHY would you do that?
I ordered Takoyaki, Gyoza, and of course, Okonomiyaki.
Takoyaki - Best thing I had. Perfectly executed.
Gyoza - swimming with grease. Tasted like it came from the Chinese hands of someone at Orchid Garden, oily and flavorless. I wanted to gag after eating that until..
Okonomiyaki - SO DAMN GREASY and BURNT and what IS this? Is it that hard to make? Do I have to open up my own Okonomiyaki restaurant? For shame! There was a booth, a BOOTH at last year's Aki Matsuri that served up only Okonomiyaki and it was so simple and delicious and perfect.
The only saving grace this place has is that it's cheap.
Also - .50 cent charge for credit cards. Get out. So disappointed. You know when the local restaurants in the plaza don't even recommend to eat at an establishment that there's a problem. From service to food, I cannot and will not return.
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