I love to go Dean Fujiya Supermarket near Lamcy Plaza. This minuscule supermarket has a surprisingly great selection of Japanese produce as well as kitchen tools (I fell in love with a classic super heavy, traditionally one sided cut Japanese chef knife, the back thick as someones ring finger) and other Japanese food related stuff. I bought there two authentic Japanese teas for work.
And a couple of meters besides, they built a restaurant, which they promoted keenly.
So I thought, it cannot be so wrong to give it a try.
The looks are a bit rough. Super bright light, almost clumsy counter which seems not at all sensible, black unrelated furniture, plastic flowers on the table -there was no interior designer at work for this restaurant. The waiting stuff, two Filipinas offered me the menu- a folder with plastic wrapped pages. Seems that the guys didn't put a particular concept in place.
I've ordered agedashi dofu, a sushi selection and cold soba noodles with grated radish. I've also ordered a melon calpis to drink and additional I've informed the waitress that I don't like seafood/shellfish/octopus...
My calpis came after 3 minutes. Very sweet but refreshing (and yes, as I am shopping in their mart, I know, that it is laden with artificial flavors... but sometimes it happens that I don't care - I won't offer it myself, but I don't judge, as long as the offering person don't give me, we are offering only the best speech) it was delicious as refreshing.
The agedashi dofu came hot on the table. The silken tofu was pretty average, the whole dish was slightly undersalted and it wasn't crispy at all. Overall it was though successful, especially, if you haven't previously experienced a better execution.
The sushi took a bit longer. I still got cuttlefish sushi [annoying, why exactly do I state, that I don't like seafood, when I still get some]... but I have to say, the salmon, tuna and hamachi nigiri were excellent, no, it was superlative - I didn't ate better sushi at 5 star hotels - even not at Zuma or Nobu! The quality of the produce was amazing and the still slightly warm rice [it was ever so slightly warm] was to die for! The tamago was very big and very rough looking. The taste reminded me more on traditional scrambled eggs and not the superfine Japanese omelette. It tasted though very good. Overall all the pieces of the dish lacked uniformity and refinement but made it up with flavor and produce freshness.
And, it came with a bowl of two pieces of cooked salmon in a creamy [maybe sesame?] sauce. First of all I thought that this was odd. And then I tried the salmon - cold! But the next impression was mind boggling. The salmon was dense and very meaty - only a very little bit salmony [fishy sounds bad]. I never encountered this dish, but it was absolutely stunning. Horay!
I got then cold soba noodles- unfortunately crowned with two tempura shrimps and slices of fishcake [didn't I mention, that I don't like seafood???]. The sauce was again a bit on the underseasoned side. Overall I think, it could be better, if they presented the soba on a plate not a bowl and have a separate bowl for dipping instead of drowning the noodles in the sauce. The whole dish was ok, but didn't blew me away.
And that wraps it up. If you are going there, make sure, that it is in a group, where everyone, likes something. I was really annoyed, that I especially pointed out, that I don't eat shellfish/seafood, and still got it on the plate - the only thing they replaced was one prawn nigiri - but then forgot my preference, even in the same dish!
The atmosphere? You better like to prefer Filipino soapy songs and staff which is singing with it. The place looks quite clean, but you mustn't be in search for something fancy.
Overall I think, it missed its mark. It is almost there, to be a insiders' tip. The sushi is absolutely great and they have items, which are offbeat and interesting. I can even forgive them the lack of style, the kitschy music and singing waitresses. The only thing, which is not good is the service. Yes, the waitress are nice, but they didn't even reacted, when they've seen, that I put the cuddlefish nigiri and the shrimp tempura demonstrative beside. They didn't asked, if everything is alright. At one time, when I ate the cold soba, the more silent waitress pointed with her finger on my bowl and on the carafe and told me, that 'should' pour the sauce into the bowl [I already did].
Don't get me wrong. I don't look for highclass_blow_my_ass_service. I am realistic here. But I am looking for a kinda sensible service, which looks for feedback and respond to the customers actions.
I also look for service, which knows the menu and can explain their guests, which is the difference, if the guest seem not to fully get the menu.
I paid around AED 130 for the meal, which would have been very good value for money, if I could eat everything! But while I loved nigiris and the drink, and also liked most of the other stuff, I just felt, that there was something elementary missing.
And a couple of meters besides, they built a restaurant, which they promoted keenly.
So I thought, it cannot be so wrong to give it a try.
The looks are a bit rough. Super bright light, almost clumsy counter which seems not at all sensible, black unrelated furniture, plastic flowers on the table -there was no interior designer at work for this restaurant. The waiting stuff, two Filipinas offered me the menu- a folder with plastic wrapped pages. Seems that the guys didn't put a particular concept in place.
I've ordered agedashi dofu, a sushi selection and cold soba noodles with grated radish. I've also ordered a melon calpis to drink and additional I've informed the waitress that I don't like seafood/shellfish/octopus...
My calpis came after 3 minutes. Very sweet but refreshing (and yes, as I am shopping in their mart, I know, that it is laden with artificial flavors... but sometimes it happens that I don't care - I won't offer it myself, but I don't judge, as long as the offering person don't give me, we are offering only the best speech) it was delicious as refreshing.
The agedashi dofu came hot on the table. The silken tofu was pretty average, the whole dish was slightly undersalted and it wasn't crispy at all. Overall it was though successful, especially, if you haven't previously experienced a better execution.
The sushi took a bit longer. I still got cuttlefish sushi [annoying, why exactly do I state, that I don't like seafood, when I still get some]... but I have to say, the salmon, tuna and hamachi nigiri were excellent, no, it was superlative - I didn't ate better sushi at 5 star hotels - even not at Zuma or Nobu! The quality of the produce was amazing and the still slightly warm rice [it was ever so slightly warm] was to die for! The tamago was very big and very rough looking. The taste reminded me more on traditional scrambled eggs and not the superfine Japanese omelette. It tasted though very good. Overall all the pieces of the dish lacked uniformity and refinement but made it up with flavor and produce freshness.
And, it came with a bowl of two pieces of cooked salmon in a creamy [maybe sesame?] sauce. First of all I thought that this was odd. And then I tried the salmon - cold! But the next impression was mind boggling. The salmon was dense and very meaty - only a very little bit salmony [fishy sounds bad]. I never encountered this dish, but it was absolutely stunning. Horay!
I got then cold soba noodles- unfortunately crowned with two tempura shrimps and slices of fishcake [didn't I mention, that I don't like seafood???]. The sauce was again a bit on the underseasoned side. Overall I think, it could be better, if they presented the soba on a plate not a bowl and have a separate bowl for dipping instead of drowning the noodles in the sauce. The whole dish was ok, but didn't blew me away.
And that wraps it up. If you are going there, make sure, that it is in a group, where everyone, likes something. I was really annoyed, that I especially pointed out, that I don't eat shellfish/seafood, and still got it on the plate - the only thing they replaced was one prawn nigiri - but then forgot my preference, even in the same dish!
The atmosphere? You better like to prefer Filipino soapy songs and staff which is singing with it. The place looks quite clean, but you mustn't be in search for something fancy.
Overall I think, it missed its mark. It is almost there, to be a insiders' tip. The sushi is absolutely great and they have items, which are offbeat and interesting. I can even forgive them the lack of style, the kitschy music and singing waitresses. The only thing, which is not good is the service. Yes, the waitress are nice, but they didn't even reacted, when they've seen, that I put the cuddlefish nigiri and the shrimp tempura demonstrative beside. They didn't asked, if everything is alright. At one time, when I ate the cold soba, the more silent waitress pointed with her finger on my bowl and on the carafe and told me, that 'should' pour the sauce into the bowl [I already did].
Don't get me wrong. I don't look for highclass_blow_my_ass_service. I am realistic here. But I am looking for a kinda sensible service, which looks for feedback and respond to the customers actions.
I also look for service, which knows the menu and can explain their guests, which is the difference, if the guest seem not to fully get the menu.
I paid around AED 130 for the meal, which would have been very good value for money, if I could eat everything! But while I loved nigiris and the drink, and also liked most of the other stuff, I just felt, that there was something elementary missing.
Yay or meh: very mixed.
Restaurant comfort: 3
Service: 3
Food and beverages: 7 (nigiri alone a 10!!! But the slightly undersalted other dishes brings it down)
Value for money: 8 (mixed bag again - I put 1 out of 5 nigiri down, the tempura shrimps, which seems to be the difference to the next dish which was AED 10 cheaper etc. - my rating is based on the fact, that you eat everything)
Overall: 4
Verdict: They have takeout and delivery - I am prone to order the next time a ton of sushi [by piece, I am not again so naive and ask them to replace something] and pick it up to nibble at home. This would make my home to Dubai's best sushi bar [well I don't have a bar, but you get the drift]!
They are not yet there. Not at all! They really have to up the ante, if they don't want to have an underperforming restaurant with an expensive real Japanese chef [or they might loose him to one hotel].
No comments:
Post a Comment