after all the positives we had heard about this place we were looking forward to dinner with a large group there. however, the excitement dissipated before we were even shown to our table. we were ignored by the person at the front counter for a full five minutes, before he even acknowledged our presence and said "i'll be with you in a minute". fact check - he was never 'with' us at any stage of our interaction.
then to the table in the basement. bottled still water was delivered to the table without our asking. at $8.50 a pop, this was quite presumptious. when we realised that we might actually be charged for the water, we requested tap for top ups. the wait staff managed to mess up even this simple request, and seemed unsure about what was required of them - bring a couple of jugs of water to the table (they arrived with one half filled jug for our table of nine) and top up the empty glasses. i'm not sure how much hospitality experience they had.
on to the menu.
very westernised versions of japanese food (mcjapanese was how one of our party described it), and ludicrously overpriced for small servings of poor quality product. when paying this kind of money for a japanese meal, it is reasonable to expect a great deal more care than was shown here. sushi should be able to be picked up and eaten whole. these fell apart before they left the platter. the prawn sushi looked like it had been assembled by a work experience student in the morning, and removed from the fridge when ordered. dry, tasteless, lacking wasabi, as was everything that should have had it. eventually, we did see some green paste on a platter - of a dish that didn't need it. and the quality was awful.
why did we need kewpie mayonnaise on everything? it has its place, but not liberally daubed on maki sushi that was already sliced too thin. a small amount to accompany chicken karaage would have sufficed.
the sushi platter also looked like it had been assembled by a work experience student, but one with a sharp knife. the scallop - yes, one - was almost too thin to pick up with chopsticks. and yes, we are experienced enough to do so.
lamb cutlets were tasty, but the quantity and quality were far below what one would expect for $26 for two cutlets.
the drinks should have been easy enough to manage. it's pretty hard to screw up pouring a beer, but there was no head on it. who was running the bar? also, they provided a tap beer, when a bottled one was ordered.
and sake. the essential japanese beverage. we picked a gold medal winner and asked it to be served warm, which it was. and it was served with chilled glasses.
if we wanted to get something to eat while at a nightclub, this would have been ok. that was the vibe.
after paying the $740 bill we went out for dessert. the ice cream we bought was the best food of the night.