2 /5 xizhe wang: We came to this restaurant for Valentine’s Day. I spent a long time choosing a place for our special dinner, and since this restaurant was Michelin-recommended, I decided to book it.
Unfortunately, it was a huge disappointment.
We ordered sashimi and temaki. I won’t comment on the portion size — for Michelin-related restaurants, smaller portions are expected, and I was prepared for that. So let’s focus purely on the taste and quality.
The sashimi was, frankly, very, very average. Only the shrimp was barely acceptable. The rest was extremely mediocre. The tuna even had a slightly fishy smell. As for the temaki, the seaweed was too dry and felt completely separate from the rice — there was no sense of harmony. At this price level, I also don’t think it’s acceptable to serve regular wasabi paste. Freshly grated wasabi should be standard. What we received tasted like the kind of wasabi you can easily buy in any supermarket. Overall, the food simply did not match the price.
Now let’s talk about service — which, at this level and price point, is just as important as the food itself. The service was minimal at best. We were simply shown which was the wine list and which was the menu. When we tried to ask about the origin of the seafood, the staff didn’t really give us the opportunity to ask questions. During the meal, dishes were cleared away very quickly, and the bill was brought almost immediately after we finished eating. I did not feel any genuine hospitality.
As a Japanese food enthusiast, I have dined at restaurants of various levels in Beijing, Shanghai, Tokyo, Seoul, and Toronto. In my opinion, the quality of this restaurant would be considered very ordinary — even below some boutique Japanese restaurants in those cities. It certainly does not compare to other Michelin-recommended Japanese restaurants. I wouldn’t say it was bad, but it was far from impressive.
When evaluating a restaurant, it’s unrealistic and unfair to ignore price. Considering the quality of ingredients and taste compared to Japanese restaurants in other major international cities, this place feels like a very average establishment. If the prices were reduced to half of their current level, I would consider it reasonable and would gladly give five stars. However, given the overly high pricing and service that does not match the cost, I can only give two stars.