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| - Low key fine dining in the middle of Chinatown.
I came in as a walk in, without an understanding of the restaurant's theme and style of dining. There were tables and bar seats open, but the hostess insisted they were not ready yet, and that all the tables were reserved for the evening. I got upset after ten minutes of waiting before being seated. Turns out we would be here for 2+ hours without much regret. Except the beef liver. That dish tasted like regret. The length of our stay made it easier to understand why the hostess had to hold onto the reserved tables and seats, and didn't want to cave to an ignorant walk-in.
The menu is Japanese styled Tapas. The dishes are priced well. My favorites include the Toro (creamy texture), the beef grilled dishes, grilled duck, bacon covered mushroom, the pork cheek, and the cold tofu. The provided table salt and soy sauce were perfect compliments to bring the flavor out of the house-made tofu. I didn't care for the chives and wasabi it came with. My absolute favorite was the cold noodles with custard. The broth and custard were simply amazing. I was full, but still shoo'd the waitress away so I could spoon the remnants of the custard from the bowl.
The beef liver was liver. The grilled fish was nothing special, but we got the fried version as well which came in the Agedashi preparation (very tasty).
The service was close to the level you'd expect at a higher-end steakhouse. The waitress knew her stuff and was spot-on with recommendations. Our dishes were cleared quickly, though the food was a bit slow to come out, also like a higher-end steakhouse.
I'd definitely come back with a reservation.
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