Koi was really quite good, but as others have noted, at its price point a decidedly five star experience is not an unreasonable expectation.
When we arrived, we were promptly seated by a window, which I had requested in our online reservation -- what a nice surprise! I don't think I've ever had one of those requests honored. The ambiance (decor, lighting, music, general vibe of the staff) were absolutely five stars, as others have noted. Our waiter arrived after just a moment to inquire about what kind of water we would like. He didn't have much English -- and it is certainly not our expectation when traveling abroad that the waitstaff will speak English -- but again, this meal was €€€€, so a superior level of service is expected (and overall, was delivered). He was kindly receptive to our broken German.
The meal itself was very good but had some room for improvement. From the start, I noticed we were supplied with metal chopsticks, which I detest. These have little friction and tend to taper too sharply at the tips, both qualities that decrease their gripping power. Next, we ordered a bottle of junmai daiginjo sake, which was delicious but kept on ice at the tableside throughout the meal -- too cold to allow its flavors to come out, in my opinion.
We began our meal with the spicy tuna and salmon tartare from the menu, and a grilled crab special. The tartare portions came on a small cube of fried rice, which was a nice touch, but we found that this lacked much flavor complexity and was a bit too crispy -- this only compounded the difficulty in grasping it with our metal chopsticks. The tuna was better than the salmon, but both cried out for some form of acid to cut the savory character of the fatty fish and rich sauce. Something, anything with rice vinegar (ponzu-esque) would have done the trick.
The grilled crab arrived a short time later and was accompanied by a wedge of lime, which we commandeered for the remaining tartare. The crab was fresh and simply prepared to highlight this. It was served with a small bowl of clarified butter and a sort of ?teriyaki sauce (good, but not especially memorable).
After the crab our plates were exchanged as I had hoped given that we were switching to the (Australian) Wagyu beef. However, our chopsticks were not, and on my first bite of beef I had an unexpected and unpleasant crab flavor. The beef was also simply prepared, well peppered and cooked medium rare as we had requested. It too was served with a butter-based sauce. This seemed to make sense but overall we were left wanting at least the option of adding some acid. The wild mushroom salad that we ordered along with the beef provided some of this and was *outstanding,* probably the highlight of the meal.
We didn't quite finish the beef or salad and asked for a container to take it with. The waiter seemed non-plussed by this request, but obliged. Hey man, that's like $40 worth of beef! He attentively kept our sake glasses full and did not rush us to cash out.
Overall, I'd honestly go back here just for the mushroom salad and the ambiance -- but I'm not sure the restaurant would be thrilled about that. I acknowledge that many of the comments above are a question of "style," but I humbly offer them to the management nonetheless. If you are feeling spendy, I do highly recommend giving Koi a try. read more
