Came into this restaurant on a damp, cold, and brisk November night after attending an event earlier. It was a small, cozy, and rustic space that was warm to be in, as well as receiving an inviting, friendly greeting from the host staff, so I knew it was going to be a good place to eat and enjoy while being sheltered from the elements outside.
We were greeted by our server, who was very friendly & well-informed of the food & drink menu, as well as the business model & operations of the restaurant. It's quite simple as outlined by the banner at the top of the menu: "go to the market, see what's good, and cook it." Everything was fresh and tasty, and the flavors in everything that we tried were good, some were bold, while others were more delicate & subtle. Presentation of each dish was excellent, the service from everyone running our food out to us was top-notch, and everyone & everything was friendly, engaging, informative, and inviting. The only drawback for me were the portion sizes, certainly tiny, each dish left me wanting more, and the price for these sizes seemed pretty high for what they were giving you, but I guess these types of restaurants are more for sampling, savoring, and enjoying, rather than feasting, gorging, and stuffing. Good thing that Thanksgiving is right around the corner to do all of that :P
To start, we both ordered the same Shiro Popular with Japanese gin, shiso, and lemon. It came in a nice delicate glass with some sort of ground peppercorn & salt attached to the rim like a margarita. It was very tasty & satisfying, and a good way to warm up to start our meal. The ambiance inside the restaurant was very busy, loud, and quite dim, and the place was really jumping despite it being the final 10pm seating. I guess they stay busy from opening right up to closing time, which is always a good sign of a popular, in demand restaurant. I asked about what time they did close, and the waitstaff told me "officially at 11pm, but we invite you to stay as long as you want or need to, even if it ends up being really late." This is such a nice gesture of hospitality & appreciation towards their patrons, and made the experience feel like being welcomed into somebody's home. Like I said, they were all so nice here.
Then came the presentation of the plates and table settings. Everything was so clean and utility, they brought us out numerous silverware despite us being only a party of two. The chopsticks were a game changer. Serrated & textured at the ends to insure a Velcro grip on thst slippery food, so as to not drop it onto the table, or into your lap, so nice and I've never seen sticks like this before. In fact, I was so impressed, that when I asked the waitstaff where they sourced these clutch design utensils, they simply offered me to keep them and to take them home with me. Another great, friendly gesture from the folks working here. The chopsticks also sat on a cute porcelain panda lying on the table, but I don't think I was supposed to keep that as well! (I didn't) ;)
Then, the food came out. We ordered the mixed marinated radish & kohlrabi with tofu & cashew sauce, the somen sesame noodles, and the Albacore tataki to stay in the Asian fusion food theme we had going on starting with our cocktails. Everything was very good, especially the radishes and the Albacore tataki. Radishes were crunchy and the cashews were whole. The Albacore slices were thick and fairly plentiful, and buttery with a hint of tangy to the taste. The somen noodles were kind of disappointing, an extremely small portion, and not much flavor, it taste like a bite sized white rice noodle, and the tomato & gin & sesame flavors were so watery that I could barely make them out. I would not order this appetizer again, but I'd order double portions of the others next time.
We lingered for a while after our dinner, well past closing time, and were never rushed to pay our tab and leave. The staff did prepare their closing & cleaning duties, but we were still checked-in on & engaged by a crew of people with going home for the night certainly on their minds. Very good, friendly service here, never rushed, always inviting. Using the bathroom before we exited, I spied some sort of signage on the wall directed towards the staff to always please the customer, make things right, and keep their focus on creating a great expeience. Rich Table certainly did that and when above & beyond the call of dinner to make our experience here very impressive & positive. It really felt like having a fancy dinner in someone's country home, with warm wooden rustic interior with comfortable dining area. The staff really treated us like they were welcoming us into their home for dinner & shelter, and I was most impressed by that. read more