I should review this place because I’ve become a semi-regular customer. It’s a pseudo-Japanese restaurant on Francisco and Shattuck. Ominously, it’s next to an auto mechanic.
Decor: 7
Not bad but nothing special. The decor is an outsider’s perception of Japanese styling, but the restaurant is clean and looks sharp. It’s not authentic or outstanding, but it doesn’t offend the senses either and looks pleasant. This would be considered a really nice place in LA, but in the Bay Area where people care about authenticity, it’s not so great.
Service: 6
There is one server (the owner) and one cook. As such, service is pretty slow and sometimes the server goes back to help cook the food. It’s pretty decent for a small establishment and a family owned restaurant, if you like the personal touch. But I knocked off a point because the server doesn’t have a strong command of the English or Japanese language. In fact, I saw him once talk to Chinese people and I’m pretty sure he doesn’t speak Mandarin or Cantonese that well either. You might have pity because I think he’s still nervous when talking to customers, but you have to get over it if you’re in a service industry.
Food: 7
I was going to give the food a 6, but they serve one thing on the menu that’s actually pretty rare in foreign-owned Japanese restaurants, which is hamachi kama or yellowtail collar. If you aren’t familiar with this, then you don’t know the specials in sushi or Japanese food. The collar is the area on the fish between the head and the body, but grilled correctly contains some of the softest and richest meat in the fish. Most restaurants throw it away, but it’s good stuff if you like the strong taste. Other than that, the best part of the restaurant is again the personal touch of a small establishment – most food is cooked to order so the fried stuff tastes fresh (as opposed to Korean restaurants, who usually pre-cook and then re-fry when you order). However, their selection of sushi fish isn’t the best so the sushi is not good value for its medium price. It’s the same quality as you’d get buying the fish yourself from a grocery store – you aren’t going to get sick, but you could do far better.
Ambience: 4
Unfortunately, the atmosphere is stuck a bit in the middle. This place is in North Berkeley, but it can’t seem to bring itself to being the discount restaurant that it should be. But it doesn’t rise to the standards of the gourmet ghetto either, the server isn’t snobby enough and the cook isn’t skilled enough. The crowd is also quite mixed, mostly a lot of walk-ins from the street, so you see students, families, business people, and the occasional yuppie. It’s a place for casual dining, really just a Japanese diner.
Total: 24/40
Price: $15 per person (appetizer, entree or sushi roll)
Verdict: Go for the hamachi kama. It is otherwise a bit overpriced.