I was curious to hear a new traditional Japanese restaurant had opened in Pinheiros. Set back behind Faria Lima, away from all the other restaurants I wasnt that surprised to find the restaurant fairly empty for a Friday night. The restaurant is cute with traditional decor to the naked eye. My Japanese friend says the Japanese kanji is poorly written which rang some alarm bells. The second alarm Bell ringing in my head is that all the chefs are Brazilian and fairly young.
We ordered a few espitinhos and some other fried dishes. Sitting at the kitchen we were able to see the chefs being taught how to prepare the noodles and lamen so we decided to stay away from these dishes.
The espitinhos, though satisfying lacked the special flavour you would expect from a traditional Japanese restaurant. The gyouzas again were satisfactory but nothing special for the surroundings.
After spending 100 reais on only four dishes and a beer we left still hungry and after not completely satisfied and seeing the young chefs not completely knowledgeable on the other dishes we left disappointed. If you decide to try this place just stick to the espitinhos. read more