(I am sushi man. I review sushi.)
I went here twice in the last week. So much needs to be said about this place.
1. This is a real sushi bar. It's small, and it's all about the bar and the chef and the sushi.
2. Chef apparently goes for high quality and a narrow range of fish. So don't go here looking for unusual stuff. He didn't have amaebi ("not in season!" he yelled). He didn't have any kai (bivalves) to speak of. He didn't even have squid! But this is fine: he runs a small place and is aiming for high quality at a reasonable price, so it's impossible to deliver a wide variety. And he knows his clientele don't like that stuff anyway (more on that later). So come here for the core fishes: all types of tuna, other traditional sushi fishes, uni, ikura...you get the idea. He did have namadako (raw octopus) though, and damn was it good! Expertly prepared with sea salt and some kind of citrus juice.
3. The chef is talented. He's also apparently friendly with his regulars. He's possibly not Japanese?? Is he Korean from Japan or something? I'm not really sure. Maybe he's Japanese. To me he was pretty rude at first, although he warmed up a bit. This is common among sushi chefs, sadly.
4. I went here late. They stay open until 2 am. This alone is worth 4 stars. Sushi bars should be open LATE. This is the only good bar in town that I know of that is open late enough.
5. The sushi deluxe set, at $28, is among the best sushi deals in all of manhattan. No doubt. The fish is really high-quality, and you get chu-toro nigiri and a negitoro maki worthy of the name. You also get a couple oddities (fried oyster gunkan), but whatever.
6. Nigiri by the piece is reasonably priced for the quality. But be careful: things add up fast.
7. This place does omakase. From what I've read, it's way overpriced. Also, while this place is intimate enough to be a proper omakase setting, the chef is actually way too busy (i.e. diner-to-chef ratio is too high) for proper omakase. Chef is always working at breakneck speed. DO NOT order omakase here. Omakase is supposed to be expensive because you get the almost undivided attention of a top chef, who serves you each piece with perfect timing.
8. The clientele, at least late at night, are classic American Sushi Douchebags. They sit at the bar. (This is good!) They are often muscular, tan, with slicked-back hair, or bluetooth headsets stuck permanently in their ears. Their girlfriends look like hookers. They don't know anything about Japan, and like to order hand rolls. They get drunk. They abuse ginger, wasabi, soy sauce. They love their tuna with avocado. They order almost no authentic sushi. They spend a lot of money. They all think they are best friends with the chef. It's really funny to me to watch this serious chef serve these douchebags. Maybe it serves him right for being slightly rude.
9. Staff are mostly Japanese, although some are perhaps part Brazillian or something?
10. Some diners are Japanese. Good sign.
11. Tea is good.
12. One waiter is a hot Japanese guy, with a great tan. Five bonus points.
Conclusion: Great (only?) late-night sushi spot, and great value if you order a set. read more