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Yum! Great omakase experience. Everything tasted really fresh and was beautifully, simply prepared. The quality and amount of food was also excellent for what it costs. I definitely recommend this place.
A great Omikase experience! Affordable, and not too adventurous with the offerings, so welcome to anyone. The sushi counter can probably fit around 10, but they don't make you wait for everyone else not in your party which is great. Theres some theatrics, light music, and warm ambiance. The food is so fresh and tasty, unique in flavor, and reasonably priced. There's classic fish, and some less common but still delish. There's also the option to add in at the end if you're still hungry. Our favorites were the smoked king salmon, the mackerel, the Wagyu, and the hand roll. It's BYOB so be sure to come prepared.
As a frequenter of omakase, this place was such a great experience. They do a good job being different while still sticking to the traditional omakase way. Went here on a Saturday evening with some friends with a reservation. We stopped by a liquor store nearby to pick up sake. Upon entering, you could hang your coat on a coat rack, hang your bags under the table where you sit, and the seats were kinda close together but still comfortable. I handed the bag of sake to one of the servers and they were kind enough to start pouring. They did a GREAT job and keeping it flowing prior to the omakase getting served haha We got the 15 course with the starter as a delicious soup to warm the body which hit the spot. All the pieces were so excellent but ones to highlight are the black cod, Hokkaido scallop, fatty tuna with ONI ON TOP, fatty tuna with caviar, and Wagyu a5 beef with foie grae on top (THE ENDER).
$75 Omakase, BYOB with no corkage fee, wonderful presentation with exciting flares and touches! Even the plates and bowls omakase is served upon are beautiful and add to the experience. Omakase at Kaki is an under-stated and over-delivered experience. The venue is a simple but beautiful sushi bar without too much extra decor or pizzaz, and the chefs are quiet and subdued, but the plates and presentations of the omakase dishes will WOW you. Each dish is a rich and balanced experience on its own, served on a gorgeous plate or platter. One of the courses even included a flaming presentation!
An affordable spot for omakase featuring unique appetizers and fresh nigiri -- I really enjoyed my experience here, would totally come back for the $75 for 15 courses. I loved that there was a good mix of raw fish and torched bites. It had a mix of more traditional nigiri and fun bites. The chef was really great and the staff was friendly and attentive. I'll definitely be back!
The fire show was really cool, and the food exceeded my expectations. I'm looking forward to our next meeting.
My partner and I decided to give Kaki a try as we were in the mood to try a new Omekase spot and it looked like a great value... $75 for 15 courses and sake included (also BYOB - which many folks took advantage of). The space itself has the suchi bar + some additional tables (if you can get a seat at the bar - do it). I do not want to spoil all of the fun with detailing the courses, but overall, it was some of the thicker cuts of fish we've had from an omekase experience - all fresh and paired really well with light sauces and accoutaments (there was a Spanish Mackerel with roasted garlic that was divine). We even ended up ordering the eel a la carte (which you couldn't go wrong with anything on that menu). The service was incredibly friendly, attentive, and fast - always ensuring our water and sake glasses were full. The one area of improvement Id recommend is the rice - it was inconsistent and potentially could've used more vinegar. Either way, the fish was definitely the star in each course! We left feeling full and satisfied, and would definitely return in the future!
We came here for my friends birthday and it was a lot of fun! We did the omakase experience that included unlimited sake. The sake options were really good and overall, the sushi was fresh and had great flavor. It's a smaller store so feels more intimate.
I came here with my friend on a Wednesday night. Neither of us had ever had omakase before, but we had been recommended to come here and try it. We had about 15 courses, mostly sushi. We really enjoyed everything; my favorite was the scallop sushi with truffle. The chefs make everything right in front of you and tell you what each piece is as it's served. The restaurant is BYOB, but we did try their house sake and it was wonderful. Our only complaint was that we felt it was a bit rushed. We were in and out in about an hour and 15 minutes, which for a multi-course dinner like this, felt a bit fast.
Wow. Kaki is what you'd imagine an omakase would be like in Japan. 15 course for $75. The most interactive omakase I've ever been to. Fish were tender and fresh but the vibe is why I would come back again. The chefs were super nice. The waitress poured us rounds after rounds of FREE sake. Not sure if it's something they do all the time but my friend and I went at 6:30pm and there were only 6 of us total at the restaurant. She brought out 3 different alcoholic drinks and was constantly refilling everyone's sake cup! We also took shots with the waitress and chef (very common in Japan) a must try in NYC 13/10 experience. Wow.
Amazing omakase place for an amazing value!!! It was around $75 for 15 pieces. I came here for my bday and I really enjoyed my experience here. The first 3 courses were appetizers and they do a fire performance in the beginning for one of the appetizers. It was kind of like a pani puri with some kind of sashimi (I forgot the fish, maybe it was salmon?). There were some courses that were experimental and traditional. My favorite piece was the nigiri with the spicy chili sauce and the tuna pieces at the end. Everything was so flavorful and melts in your mouth. The tuna pieces at the end really sealed the deal for me especially the tuna hand roll, tuna + uni + caviar hand nigiri, and the bluefin tuna nigiri. Yummy, I wish I could relive this experience. At the end of the meal, they provided a matcha dessert which was a nice sweet treat to end the experience. Overall service was good. I do wish they provided a menu of the omakase pieces so I can remember what I ate.
(Overall: A) - The next omakase on my bucket list was Kaki given their impressive fire show I saw on Instagram. Overall Kaki is at a similar price point as the other slightly lower priced omakases (even though its already well priced) but with a soup, dessert, even some house sake shots. The place is also BYOB which is a perk. I think the fire show is definitely unique and adds entertainment value to the meal. The bar is a bit tight which is alright, but the servers were nice and friendly, although a bit shy. Overall, I would recommend Kaki as another good omakase option. (Mushroom Soup: B) - A very chinese take on an appetizing soup that is refreshing way to start a meal. I would've liked to see something a bit more exciting or innovative, but was nevertheless nice to warm up. (King Salmon: A+) - This was a rosemary smoked king salmon, where unfortunately I could not taste the rosemary smoke. In spite of this, I loved the thickness of the salmon to give it that natural flavor, and the miso also helps lift up the dish and give it some flavor backbone. (Flaming Potato: A) - The flaming potato is all in the fire show which was fantastic to watch. However, at its core, its a potato ball seasoned with indian spices and filled with sashimi which was odd because the flavors didn't align and the sashimi was cold that paired strangely with the cold. For this, I felt that this item could definitely be a signature menu item had the pairing been more well meshed. (Hirame: A+) - This piece of fluke was also topped with a bit of the fin, which was incredibly smart to make full use of the fish and give two layers of flavors, with one of them being nicely smoked. (Madai: A) - This sea bream is paired with ume to give it a strong sour kick, very nice. (Shima Aji: B) - This striped jack was paired with a yuzu kosho, which I thought was smart, but given the nature of the fish, something more forward in spice would've worked better. (Kanpachi: B) - Amberjack is another white fish, so the chive and soy pairing was a bit too light here in my opinion and would've worked better for something stronger in flavor like tuna. (Hamachi: B) - A classic yellowtail and scallion pairing. I felt like there is room to expand the flavor profile, but otherwise tastes nice. (Hotate: A+) - Scallop and truffle is one of my favorite pairings. I think the black truffle does a nice job to add earthiness to contrast the buttery scallop. (Baby Black Cod: A+) - The black cod is topped with miso and smoked, one of my personal favorites of the night. The smoked miso worked well and paired extremely well since black cod is a tender fish to begin with. (Akami: A) - The leanest of the tuna cuts, this was paired with an acidic component that helped to bring attention away from that leanness. (Chu Toro: A) - This was on a bit of the light side as it was just fatty tuna with a brush of soy; that being said, the fattiness was self contained so it didn't necessarily need much more. (Uni Otoro: A+) - This piece was a decadent one, pairing the fattiest part of the tuna belly with creamy uni, some minced tuna, and caviar. The sea urchin was not necessarily bright with freshness but still tasted fresh. Overall, this poece tasted like treasures of the sea mixing into one and was a very nice way to close off the meal. (Negitoro Handroll: A) - Chopped tuna, scallions, and some pickled radish were mixed together and served as a handroll. I think the radish is a smart play as it adds acidity and sweetness to an otherwise mellow flavor. (A5 Wagyu: A+) - For an additional $13, we opted to add a piece of the A5 wagyu, which is a very reasonable price. The wagyu is cut beautifully and garnished nicely with scallion; the seasoning is also fantastic and tastes perfect. (Matcha Pudding: A) - Their matcha pudding is very smooth and the matcha syrup is particularly lovely because it is not too sweet and has a subtle bitterness for complexity. -- Food: +1 Presentation: E Price: +2 Atmosphere: E Service: +1 Menu: +1 Overall: +5 A Insta/Beli: @amei_eats
6 months ago
Kaki was my first omakase experience so I didn't have any expectation or know what to expect. The omakase came with a fire show with the appetizers at the beginning, a few plates of nigiri with raw fish and wagyu, as well as matcha pudding at the end. I don't normally like tuna but the fatty tuna here was mindblowingly good. Aside from the tuna, the salmon and the Hokkaido scallops with truffles were great as well. The matcha pudding tasted off and overly sweet, though. Our server was very attentive and friendly. I also like the fact that there aren't that many seatings at the restaurant, making it a cozy and comfortable dining experience. I think I get the hype around omakase now... read more
Maybe we came on an off night, but the sushi was warm and underwhelming, feels like it wasn't worth the $85 price tag at all. We've tried other affordable omakase restaurants in the area, but feel like the quality here was not the best. The good: it's BYOB with no corkage fee, so bring whatever you like to drink. The mushroom soup course was delicious and the negitoro handroll was good as well. The bad: feel like they torched about 70% of the courses, which makes me feel uneasy since I couldn't taste the fish as well/maybe the cuts weren't as nice and it was masked by the soy sauce and torch combo. The course timing was also very strange, since they pre cut all the fish, it's sitting out the entire hour of the meal. We had to wait about 20-25 minutes between our 2nd and 3rd course, since everyone in the restaurant had to be seated for the fire show. Very awkward wait in between and the panipuri got very soggy in the meantime... we couldn't really taste most of the fish since it was torched but the cuts were pretty large and generous, maybe not the freshest though. Service was great and so were the chefs, but I won't be back unless they change their course structure. read more
A great Omikase experience! Affordable, and not too adventurous with the offerings, so welcome to anyone. The sushi counter can probably fit around 10, but they don't make you wait for everyone else not in your party which is great. Theres some theatrics, light music, and warm ambiance. The food is so fresh and tasty, unique in flavor, and reasonably priced. There's classic fish, and some less common but still delish. There's also the option to add in at the end if you're still hungry. Our favorites were the smoked king salmon, the mackerel, the Wagyu, and the hand roll. It's BYOB so be sure to come prepared. read more
2 years ago
As a frequenter of omakase, this place was such a great experience. They do a good job being different while still sticking to the traditional omakase way. Went here on a Saturday evening with some friends with a reservation. We stopped by a liquor store nearby to pick up sake. Upon entering, you could hang your coat on a coat rack, hang your bags under the table where you sit, and the seats were kinda close together but still comfortable. I handed the bag of sake to one of the servers and they were kind enough to start pouring. They did a GREAT job and keeping it flowing prior to the omakase getting served haha We got the 15 course with the starter as a delicious soup to warm the body which hit the spot. All the pieces were so excellent but ones to highlight are the black cod, Hokkaido scallop, fatty tuna with ONI ON TOP, fatty tuna with caviar, and Wagyu a5 beef with foie grae on top (THE ENDER). read more
$75 Omakase, BYOB with no corkage fee, wonderful presentation with exciting flares and touches! Even the plates and bowls omakase is served upon are beautiful and add to the experience. Omakase at Kaki is an under-stated and over-delivered experience. The venue is a simple but beautiful sushi bar without too much extra decor or pizzaz, and the chefs are quiet and subdued, but the plates and presentations of the omakase dishes will WOW you. Each dish is a rich and balanced experience on its own, served on a gorgeous plate or platter. One of the courses even included a flaming presentation! read more
6 months ago
2 years ago
An affordable spot for omakase featuring unique appetizers and fresh nigiri -- I really enjoyed my experience here, would totally come back for the $75 for 15 courses. I loved that there was a good mix of raw fish and torched bites. It had a mix of more traditional nigiri and fun bites. The chef was really great and the staff was friendly and attentive. I'll definitely be back! read more
9 months ago
The fire show was really cool, and the food exceeded my expectations. I'm looking forward to our next meeting. read more
10 months ago
1 year ago
My partner and I decided to give Kaki a try as we were in the mood to try a new Omekase spot and it looked like a great value... $75 for 15 courses and sake included (also BYOB - which many folks took advantage of). The space itself has the suchi bar + some additional tables (if you can get a seat at the bar - do it). I do not want to spoil all of the fun with detailing the courses, but overall, it was some of the thicker cuts of fish we've had from an omekase experience - all fresh and paired really well with light sauces and accoutaments (there was a Spanish Mackerel with roasted garlic that was divine). We even ended up ordering the eel a la carte (which you couldn't go wrong with anything on that menu). The service was incredibly friendly, attentive, and fast - always ensuring our water and sake glasses were full. The one area of improvement Id recommend is the rice - it was inconsistent and potentially could've used more vinegar. Either way, the fish was definitely the star in each course! We left feeling full and satisfied, and would definitely return in the future! read more
2 years ago
We came here for my friends birthday and it was a lot of fun! We did the omakase experience that included unlimited sake. The sake options were really good and overall, the sushi was fresh and had great flavor. It's a smaller store so feels more intimate. read more
4 months ago
I came here with my friend on a Wednesday night. Neither of us had ever had omakase before, but we had been recommended to come here and try it. We had about 15 courses, mostly sushi. We really enjoyed everything; my favorite was the scallop sushi with truffle. The chefs make everything right in front of you and tell you what each piece is as it's served. The restaurant is BYOB, but we did try their house sake and it was wonderful. Our only complaint was that we felt it was a bit rushed. We were in and out in about an hour and 15 minutes, which for a multi-course dinner like this, felt a bit fast. read more
Wow. Kaki is what you'd imagine an omakase would be like in Japan. 15 course for $75. The most interactive omakase I've ever been to. Fish were tender and fresh but the vibe is why I would come back again. The chefs were super nice. The waitress poured us rounds after rounds of FREE sake. Not sure if it's something they do all the time but my friend and I went at 6:30pm and there were only 6 of us total at the restaurant. She brought out 3 different alcoholic drinks and was constantly refilling everyone's sake cup! We also took shots with the waitress and chef (very common in Japan) a must try in NYC 13/10 experience. Wow. read more
Amazing omakase place for an amazing value!!! It was around $75 for 15 pieces. I came here for my bday and I really enjoyed my experience here. The first 3 courses were appetizers and they do a fire performance in the beginning for one of the appetizers. It was kind of like a pani puri with some kind of sashimi (I forgot the fish, maybe it was salmon?). There were some courses that were experimental and traditional. My favorite piece was the nigiri with the spicy chili sauce and the tuna pieces at the end. Everything was so flavorful and melts in your mouth. The tuna pieces at the end really sealed the deal for me especially the tuna hand roll, tuna + uni + caviar hand nigiri, and the bluefin tuna nigiri. Yummy, I wish I could relive this experience. At the end of the meal, they provided a matcha dessert which was a nice sweet treat to end the experience. Overall service was good. I do wish they provided a menu of the omakase pieces so I can remember what I ate. read more
(Overall: A) - The next omakase on my bucket list was Kaki given their impressive fire show I saw on Instagram. Overall Kaki is at a similar price point as the other slightly lower priced omakases (even though its already well priced) but with a soup, dessert, even some house sake shots. The place is also BYOB which is a perk. I think the fire show is definitely unique and adds entertainment value to the meal. The bar is a bit tight which is alright, but the servers were nice and friendly, although a bit shy. Overall, I would recommend Kaki as another good omakase option. (Mushroom Soup: B) - A very chinese take on an appetizing soup that is refreshing way to start a meal. I would've liked to see something a bit more exciting or innovative, but was nevertheless nice to warm up. (King Salmon: A+) - This was a rosemary smoked king salmon, where unfortunately I could not taste the rosemary smoke. In spite of this, I loved the thickness of the salmon to give it that natural flavor, and the miso also helps lift up the dish and give it some flavor backbone. (Flaming Potato: A) - The flaming potato is all in the fire show which was fantastic to watch. However, at its core, its a potato ball seasoned with indian spices and filled with sashimi which was odd because the flavors didn't align and the sashimi was cold that paired strangely with the cold. For this, I felt that this item could definitely be a signature menu item had the pairing been more well meshed. (Hirame: A+) - This piece of fluke was also topped with a bit of the fin, which was incredibly smart to make full use of the fish and give two layers of flavors, with one of them being nicely smoked. (Madai: A) - This sea bream is paired with ume to give it a strong sour kick, very nice. (Shima Aji: B) - This striped jack was paired with a yuzu kosho, which I thought was smart, but given the nature of the fish, something more forward in spice would've worked better. (Kanpachi: B) - Amberjack is another white fish, so the chive and soy pairing was a bit too light here in my opinion and would've worked better for something stronger in flavor like tuna. (Hamachi: B) - A classic yellowtail and scallion pairing. I felt like there is room to expand the flavor profile, but otherwise tastes nice. (Hotate: A+) - Scallop and truffle is one of my favorite pairings. I think the black truffle does a nice job to add earthiness to contrast the buttery scallop. (Baby Black Cod: A+) - The black cod is topped with miso and smoked, one of my personal favorites of the night. The smoked miso worked well and paired extremely well since black cod is a tender fish to begin with. (Akami: A) - The leanest of the tuna cuts, this was paired with an acidic component that helped to bring attention away from that leanness. (Chu Toro: A) - This was on a bit of the light side as it was just fatty tuna with a brush of soy; that being said, the fattiness was self contained so it didn't necessarily need much more. (Uni Otoro: A+) - This piece was a decadent one, pairing the fattiest part of the tuna belly with creamy uni, some minced tuna, and caviar. The sea urchin was not necessarily bright with freshness but still tasted fresh. Overall, this poece tasted like treasures of the sea mixing into one and was a very nice way to close off the meal. (Negitoro Handroll: A) - Chopped tuna, scallions, and some pickled radish were mixed together and served as a handroll. I think the radish is a smart play as it adds acidity and sweetness to an otherwise mellow flavor. (A5 Wagyu: A+) - For an additional $13, we opted to add a piece of the A5 wagyu, which is a very reasonable price. The wagyu is cut beautifully and garnished nicely with scallion; the seasoning is also fantastic and tastes perfect. (Matcha Pudding: A) - Their matcha pudding is very smooth and the matcha syrup is particularly lovely because it is not too sweet and has a subtle bitterness for complexity. -- Food: +1 Presentation: E Price: +2 Atmosphere: E Service: +1 Menu: +1 Overall: +5 A Insta/Beli: @amei_eats read more
6 months ago
4 months ago
1 year ago
I love kaki! It is one of my favorite BYOB omakases in the LES. Definitely worth the value. The servers also include free sake read more
3 years ago
Overall, if you like Omakase, I think it's worth checking out. Omakase is more simple and "back to basics" compared to other places, but the quality is amazing and so is the price. There were a few pieces with uni, truffle, and caviar, but don't come expecting edible gold, etc - not one of those places. Intimate counter seating - there's around 16 seats. Casual, but fun atmosphere, they play upbeat music. It's BYOB as well, so people brought in their own bottles of wine, beer, etc. The servers also pour free sake shots for people. They also have tea - I asked for it 3 separate times and they said they were bringing it. But then after the third time told me they ran out even though I saw them serving others tea, so that was odd. Other than that, this was a fun experience. They also do a last call after all the courses and you can order a la carte if you're still hungry. read more
Everything about our Omakase experience was excellent, including the price and the BYOB. Every course was really good. We loved each and everyone. We sometimes had a hard time hearing what the course was, so it would've been nice to have a sheet with everything listed on it. They also provided a little free cloudy sake. The service was great. Everyone was friendly and nice. The vibes were on point too. We will definitely look to go back. read more
This is another decently priced omakase place in the lower east side/east village. You get a good deal for 75 dollars and a few pours of free sake. The restaurant was really clean and the service was really nice. In terms of pieces, I can't recall any memorable pieces as they were all ok. Good, but nothing amazing. A lot of the pieces tasted similar and were torched. Speaking of torched, the fire show was interesting and entertaining. Would I go out of my way to come here again? Probably not. Am I glad I tried it once? Sure. read more
I decided to come here for my birthday to try a new omakase spot (and my first time having omakase!) and I had such a positive experience! Our reservation was at 5pm and we were a little nervous about being late so we made sure to show up on time. I will say they needed a few minutes to still set up but we did not mind. We were the only guests there during our meal which felt like a private dining experience! If you prefer it to be more busy, they said that it starts to get busy after 6:30PM. The restaurant has about 8-10 seats? So definitely make a reservation online! Our chef was super kind and engaging. He explained each dish to us and served it beautifully. We started out with three "appetizers" and then moved onto the nigiri and then had the hand roll and matcha pudding for dessert. Everything was super delicious! On top of that, it is BYOB but we were constantly served sake on the house! Had a great experience, would recommend! read more
8 months ago
In terms of quality of fish, one of the worst omakase experiences I have ever had. The staff was friendly and we were offered unlimited sake, but the fish, ginger, rice were really subpar. The fish is prepared and pre cut in bulk before the omakase starts which results in the fish sitting out for the majority of the time there, which naturally degrades the quality of the fish. The pieces of fish itself were also just not the fresh... they were extremely fishy, and even the otoro did not melt in my mouth. It felt a bit grainy and stringy, the texture of the toro was super off. The rice was also not sushi rice... not vinegar and a bit off in texture. The soup we got in the beginning was also served cold, and the fire show they point on is rather pointless... the dish itself was not that good, did not taste japanese at all and was more like a mix of spices (southeast asian flavor). Overall, I would not come back. The fish does not sit well with my stomach and definitely not worth the price point. read more
1 year ago
Went for omakase. Great value for money, flavors were awesome. Service was friendly. Restaurant was cute read more
3 years ago
Excellent service and all staff members were very polite and inviting. They kept our glasses filled and were very attentive to our needs. The sushi chefs were also polite and interacted with the guests and you could tell they took pride in their craft. Food was so, so excellent. Each piece was its own experience. From the mushroom soup to the otoro was incredible. Everything was light, buttery, fresh, and memorable. I left feeling satisfied with both the food and service. Ambiance was very intimate and it was cute that they have a separate set of tables (like 2-3) for customers to sit at to continue their conversation after their experience. Definitely recommend making a reservation too. I would definitely return in future NY trips. read more
1 year ago
3 years ago
I had my first omakase experience here at Kaki. Although I have been keeping a close eye at the restaurant's social media since its opening, my experience still had its wow-factor, even though I've seen the fire show on video so many times. This was so worth the $75/person. Everything was super fresh and we were given sake shots throughout the night. Some of the memorable nigiri were the two that had miso sauce, scallop, mackerel, and of course the otoro topped with uni and caviar. I also did not expect the mackerel nigiri to be so clean-tasting. The meal ended with a well-balanced matcha pudding which was my favorite dessert of my NYC trip this month. The staff made sure our water and ginger were refilled when running low. I only wish that the music was lowered but overall, I highly recommend checking out Kaki for a lovely omakase experience under $100. read more
Kaki had a great vibe. We brought two bottles since they were BYOB. The staff was very friendly and even put our bottle in the fridge. They explained everything very thoroughly and checked in on us many times. I thought the food could be better quality but for the price point it was a good omakase spot. read more
9 months ago
Everything was fantastic from start to finish! Lovely experience. Very reasonably priced omakase that is excellent quality. Will be back soon! read more
We find out the August promotion and we are so glad we come. The sushi are fresh and delicious. The sushi chef and waitress are very friendly and attentive. It also comes with complimentary sake with the meal. The sushi bar can sit 15 ppl and there's regular table available too. The restaurant decor is very spacious, clean and relaxing. Can't wait to go back again. read more
Love the playlist while we were there. We got the 15 course omakase. It was kinda hard to understand what the fish was when the chef told us what it was. Everything was delicious! They had a fire show at the beginning plus they gave us free nigori sake. This place is BYOB as well but we forgot about that. One thing we wish they would do is offer to have a wash cloth before the service like other places because omakase is also usually eaten with hands. Overall we enjoyed the dinner! Definitely recommend kaki! read more
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More info about Kaki
129 Rivington St
New York, NY 10002
Lower East Side
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(646) 568-8859
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