We were out on the south shore around dinner time and we followed the 4.5 star review this restaurant gets on Yelp. We took a chance. Once seated, I followed our waiter's advice to try the chef's choice.
I was served a litany of finger food, sometimes served on the strangest of vessels, the mixture of flavours in each dish so complicated that I couldn't really identify what it is I was eating. The shape changed - and was sometimes pretty - but the taste stayed pretty much the same: cloyingly sweet, and bland in a bizarre way. I ended the meal with sticky fingers and a nauseating feeling that i had been taken for a ride.
The decor reflects the same lack of direction as the kitchen, with Thai buddhas cohabiting with classic izakaya lanterns (some are beer adverts), Chinese windbreakers, and various vaguely asian trinquets and prints on the wall. The chopsticks are not even Japanese. On the glasses and the sleeves of the waiters you'll find a "勝" proclaiming, I suppose, the "win" this restaurant is aiming for??? It reminded me of those people who get a Chinese word tattooed on their arm or chest thinking it was a wise and ancient one-word proverb only to find out later it actually means "water" (or worse). "Win" indeed...
The only somewhat bright side was the ever enthusiastic server who was singing the praise of each plate as he was serving them. I was at first on the verge of finding him annoying, but at least he was entertaining. In the end I kind of felt a pang of guilt for his efforts as I was going from one disappointment to the next. I think he knows what he is serving. The first and only star of this review is for his hard work (also, you can't give a zero star review).
All in all it was disgusting, heavy on the stomach and the wallet (150$+ for two once all was said and done, no wine, as it is a BYOW), and I'm definitely never going again. Nor should you.
Now, I'm not sure what's wrong with people who think they can call their place a sushi restaurant when all they serve is a mishmash of pretentious ... let's stay polite and call it "stuff" ... slathered with some kind of spicy sweet mayonnaise, and served on or with something crunchy in a cocktail glass. I understand the need to attract people who are still not quite comfortable - in 2022 - with the idea of eating raw fish, but this is extreme. Oh, and spare me the maple syrup to try and appeal to the "eating local" crowd.
Sushi is about the fish, if you're not able to serve good fish, and insist on serving that Americanized crap, spare us and just call your restaurant something else. I hear "fusion" is a popular word. read more