Sushi Waka

taste was absolutely awful and prices were too much high. fish doesn't look and taste fresh. rice was like plastic. meat were just too much oily and doesn't have taste. what's more the chef and his wife were awful. very bossy and kept abusing in japanese.
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mk
0 Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 0 | Value for money 0
Sunday, August 14, 2011

Despite their name, they are a TEMPURA specialist. I was able to hear a constant noise of shimmering oil behind the counter, and that's not what you'd expect in a genuine sushi restaurant.

They told me that they are indeed sushi restaurant BUT as I was grow up in Tokyo (the capital of traditional sushi), I could tell - with some authority - that they are definitely not a sushi restaurant but a tempura specialist, so, I'll start with their tempura.

Burdock tempura was (as the one below also stated) a bit salty but still a great choice (I shall ask them to reduce the seasoning when I order next time), and Kisu (Sillaginidae) tempura was totally delightful. The delicate-looking batter had light and crunchy texture just like any professionally-done tempura should be, and the fish was cooked to perfection. I recommend Kisu tempura with confidence and I shall soon return to try out some more of their tempuras.

OK, now, their sushi. I tried a couple of sushi but (I wouldn't bother to tell you which one) it was completely t-r-a-g-i-c. OMG, I - as a Japanese - was even embarrassed to find a Japanese restaurant serving such poor quality sushi. The worst crime was the consistency of the rice. It was soggy and pressed so hard, it was mashed into pate (ideally each grain should retain its shape and loosely attached to each other with plenty of gap in between). When my sushi arrived, I could tell I've made a mistake, even just by looking at it. Pop it into my mouth, I could tell the rice isn't as fragrant as it should be - I guess they use low-grade rice. The fish was tiny and didn't have much taste. They also slotted in a piece of over-grown cucumber into their sushi roll which didn't add anything but bland, sponge-y & fibre-y texture. As far as sushi concerned, Itsu or YO! serves better stuff.

Sushi and tempura are totally different disciplines and each demands life-long devotion to perfect. What this restaurant is doing is just like a skilled thatcher trying to cut it as a carpenter - and failed spectacularly. I wish they called themselves Tempura Waka instead of sushi.

So, my advice is to go totally pants for tempura and any grilled/cooked stuff but don't bother with their sushi.
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7 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 4 | Value for money 7
Saturday, February 12, 2011