We were a party of four, and ordered six dishes/sides.
I ordered the chicken katsu, which had absolutely nothing Japanese about it. It was prepared with western-style breadcrumbs, and the curry sauce was just a pretty boring yellow curry - maybe that was my bad...for expecting Japanese curry. I also expected Tonkatsu sauce as a topper :( The rice must have been plated too early, because it was dry at the top. The salad just didn't work with the dish - again, just random vegetables for a Western decorative salad. Huge missed opportunity.
Roasted duck (x2) - the duck was okay, not the best in terms of the meat itself. The vegetables didn't appear to be freshly cut (or at least stored in a way that prevented them from drying out). The "pancakes" looked and tasted exactly like store-bought dumpling wrappers. Side note, we had to ask two different waiters for more pancakes (we only got a single serving in a steamer for two dishes), and the second waiter didn't get what we were talking about at first. By the time we got more pancakes, the meat was completely cold.
Beef wok - I think this was the best dish when it came to expectation/reality. Freshly made and quite good, but the price felt extremely steep for something that we normally whip up quickly on a weekday night. Then again, not sure how "fancy" we expected this one to be.
Spring rolls - I guess I'll never learn that I don't like spring rolls filled to the brim with glass noodles, which bring nothing to the table. Might be personal preference, my friend liked them.
Miso soup - okay and decently priced.
Various sushi bites - all good, the same modern/fusion-type sushi you get at any other place in town.
Atmosphere - ugh. We sat right by the window, early in the evening. There were only two or three other tables, but the sound carried so much that I'm sure we heard them better than they heard each other. I can't imagine what it's like in a packed restaurant. Space is limited and the layout doesn't allow for that much in terms of acoustics, but there are ways to dampen noise quite a bit - from decorations and choice of furniture to acoustic ceilings. The windows remain from the business that used the space previously, and they're not up to standard when it comes to blocking noise from traffic and general hustle-and-bustle. It's something that has to be "blamed" on the property owner, but it certainly didn't elevate the experience.
All in all - I was hopeful, but I don't get the hype at all and we haven't been back (nor do we intend to). While the menu has a slightly different focus than other Asian restaurants in town, it still felt run-off-the-mill. If you've had really great Vietnamese/Japanese/Chinese/etc food in a major city in Europe, this just feels like a fast food place with better plating.More
