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| - I liked the restaurant space a lot. It was big and clean and classy with the low-lighting and dark color. I went on a Friday for dinner and the place was packed with no free tables. I opted to sit at the bar rather than wait. The bartender was friendly. I ordered a campari, vodka, mango and shiso cocktail, but it ended up smelling like lychee. I asked the bartender about it and he said he put it in there to off-set the bitterness, which I took as nice rather than annoying.
I ordered 3 appetizers for $7. It was well presented, all on a single plate. They were smaller than I had imagined, but probably because I didn't know anything about their food-style. They were: oyster shooter: tasted a little salty; beef tartar: tasted like teriyaki; and the braised pork, which tasted like soy sauce. Frankly, the food did not match up to my expectations, especially given the decorative presentation. It all tasted like generic Asian flavors to me.
Next, I order three rolls: duck, dante, and bumble bee. The duck was a little chewy but overall good, the dante was way too spicy for me with its red sauce, and the bumble bee had a ranch type mayonaise on the bottom. All three rolls were a bit chewy, which I believe is due to old/stale nori wrappers. None of the rolls needed extra soy sauce or wasabi because they were all well covered in sauce, which I was disappointed in as well.
Overall, I liked the setting, the service, the presentation, but the food itself lacked anything special or memorable for me. It just felt and tasted like slightly expensive sushi made for white american palates where the sauce is the highlight of the food rather than a right combination of ingredients and flavors.
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