Ren Mishina

When I say that this meal was wonderful I am woefully understating it. Through out the night my pallet was guided into bliss with an array of tasty dishes. The meal started with crab meat salad carefully prepared inside of a yuzu (Japanese orange). The flavors from that point forward only got better... as the chef delivered dish after dish at exactly the right time. Halfway through the meal, there was a fugu (pufferfish) trio of dishes that came one after the other that helped me understand why the fish is so famous in the first place. After some wagyu, duck, yellowtail, and many other fantastic flavors, I was sent on my way by a delicious dessert unlike any I have had before. The food was paired with sake selected by the chef and never failed to compliment the dish. The staff was also wonderful. Even though I knew little to no Japanese they did their best to keep me both happy and entertained. The head chef was very friendly and I could tell that he was trying his best to connect with me despite the language barrier. However, believe me when I say that there is no language barrier in the story that he created with his food. Probably the best meal I have ever eaten to date (which is why I wrote a review) and I hope that I get a chance to go back.

Visited February 2021

This restaurant is very hard to find as it has no signage. Even though their staff is friendly and the seafood is fresh, we do not find the cuisine spectacular as it should be due to the Michelin stars awarded.

Visited June 2019

Following a friendly enough welcome at the foot of the basement entrance to the restaurant for our 17:30 reservation we were invited to enter the dining room. A cool uninterested greeting awaited us from the head chef. This was not a language barrier as a smile can never be lost in translation. The ...ambiance was lifeless and unwelcoming and we were alone and tucked away to one side of the counter (which had space for 7-8 people). The evening’s 10 item menu was laid out in front of us on a sheet of paper and the mechanical service started without delay. By 18:00 (after 30mins) we were 6 courses in and 6 times disappointed. This was more than just a mismatch of taste (I do confess that none of it was a match for my pallet) it was a complete mismatch of expectation. Creativity & imagination was not on display this evening nor were we confronted by any surprising & unexpected taste combinations. After the 7th course the youngest waiter’s confidence had been awakened and he was really doing his best to engage us with information and questions - I guess he saw our obvious dissatisfaction with his employer’s performance. Over the hour or so we were there I watched as the chef plated, in their entirety, all dishes (non-cooked menu items) for what I can only assume was the second service that evening. Really? Fast food style preparation at these prices & with that reputation? Alas, the only highlight of the evening was when the 10th plate was taken away and we could at last leave, never to return. [No item was worthy of a photograph]

Visited April 2019