We're foodies and seldom eat out (as a general rule, we figure that we're better off spending $50 on top-quality ingredients that we prepare at home rather than spending the same $50 at a restaurant to get food of dubious quality). Nonetheless, I decided to treat myself and DH to a sashimi dinner at home for a once-in-a-blue-moon change (usually if we're in the mood for sashimi I buy the fish at Katagiri Japanese Grocery in NYC, bring it home in a cooler and slice it up at home, but I wasn't in the city this week).
Since we are unfamiliar with local Japanese restaurants, we read all the online reviews and narrowed our choice down to either Sweet Mango or Toro. Based on the reviews, we opted for Sweet Mango. What a disappointment!
We're purists, so we ordered sashimi a la carte. According to Sweet Mango's website, the sushi/sashimi a la carte prices quoted are for one piece if you're ordering sushi or for two pieces if you're ordering sashimi. Easy peasy. We ordered thirteen items from the fish/shellfish a la carte menu, for which we were charged $56.50 (plus tax and tip). So we got twenty-six pieces of fish/shellfish, right? Wrong. We got twenty-one pieces, because -- unbeknownst to us innocent website users -- five of the items we ordered were priced per piece of sashimi rather than for two pieces (notwithstanding what the website menu said). For example, one flaccid medium-sized sweet shrimp (partially cooked) and laying all by its lonesome self on a little plate was $5.00 (which would make the per pound price of the shrimp over $60). A 1" slice of BBQ eel was $4.00. A single piece of king crab less than 2" square and 1/2" thick was $8. One.
The food itself was mediocre, and most of the fish was nearly tasteless. The yellowtail was without its characteristic rich, silky mouthfeel. The tuna didn't taste like tuna. The king crab was tough. The tomago [sic] was the worst I've ever had -- rubbery and funny-tasting. Can't figure out why it tasted so odd, I mean, what can you do with egg, dashi, sugar, mirin, and soy sauce? Also, it seemed to have been baked in a loaf pan instead of rolled into a loaf shape, so it had none of the layered complexity of authentic tamago.
Total cost of our order was $77.21 (including tax but not including our 15% tip). I realize that we're not up on current restaurant prices, but this wasn't a lot of food for $80.
I called immediately upon opening our order at home, and was told that - according to the chef -- five of the items I ordered were "too expensive" to include more than one piece at the quoted prices (which begs the question as to why one piece of sashimi costs the same as one piece of sushi, I mean, isn't more labor involved in making sushi?). I insisted on speaking with the manager, of course, but he won't be back in the restaurant for two days. I was told that "he'll call me back". I'll update if he does.
One star because we didn't get food poisoning from the food.
(BTW, Katagiri's bust-out retail price for an 11" side of frozen barbecued eel is about $18. I know because I have one in our freezer (I know, I know, we should have had that for dinner, but give me a break)). read more